Effect of hierarchy legitimacy on low status group members' attributions for ingroup and outgroup failures.

PubMed

Beatson, Ruth M; Halloran, Michael J

2015-04-01

Previous research has shown that people have a tendency to explain successes and failures in ways that favor their ingroups relative to outgroups. However, there has been a dearth of research examining whether social-contextual factors such as group status and hierarchy legitimacy moderate such intergroup attributions. Participants in this study were assigned to a low status group, and perceived hierarchy legitimacy was then experimentally manipulated; the extent to which ingroup versus outgroup failures were attributed to several causes was measured. When low status was considered illegitimate, ingroup failure was attributed to external causes (task difficulty, bad luck) more so than outgroup failure. Implications and directions for future research examining consequences and mediating processes are discussed.

Atmospheric boundary layer effects induced by the 20 March 2015 solar eclipse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, Suzanne L.; Harrison, R. Giles

2016-04-01

The British Isles benefits from dense meteorological observation networks, enabling insights into the still-unresolved effects of solar eclipse events on the near-surface wind field. The near-surface effects of the solar eclipse of 20 March 2015 are derived through comparison of output from the Met Office's operational weather forecast model (which is ignorant of the eclipse) with data from two meteorological networks: the Met Office's land surface station (MIDAS) network and a roadside measurement network operated by Vaisala. Synoptic-evolution relative calculations reveal the cooling and increase in relative humidity almost universally attributed to eclipse events. In addition, a slackening of wind speeds by up to about 2 knots in already weak winds and backing in wind direction of about 20 degrees under clear skies across middle England are attributed to the eclipse event. The slackening of wind speed is consistent with the previously reported boundary layer stabilisation during eclipse events. Wind direction changes have previously been attributed to a large-scale `eclipse-induced cold-cored cyclone', mountain slope flows, and changes in the strength of sea breezes. A new explanation is proposed here by analogy with nocturnal wind changes at sunset and shown to predict direction changes consistent with those observed.

Interplay between Marital Attributions and Conflict Behavior in Predicting Depressive Symptoms

PubMed Central

Ellison, Jenna K.; Kouros, Chrystyna D.; Papp, Lauren M.; Cummings, E. Mark

2015-01-01

Marital attributions--i.e., causal inferences and explanations spouses make about their partners’ behavior--have been implicated as predictors of relationship functioning. Extending previous work, we examined marital attributions as a moderator of the link between marital conflict and depressive symptoms one year later. Participants were 284 couples who reported on marital attributions and depressive symptoms. Couples also engaged in a videotaped marital conflict interaction, which was later coded for specific conflict behaviors. The results showed that husbands’ and wives’ marital attributions about their partner moderated relations between marital conflict behavior and later depressive symptoms, controlling for global marital sentiments. For husbands, positive behavior and affect during marital conflict predicted a decrease in depressive symptoms, but only for husbands’ who made low levels of responsibility and causal attributions about their wives. Wives’ causal attributions about their partner also moderated relations between positive behavior and affect during marital conflict and husbands’ later depressive symptoms. Reflecting an unexpected finding, negative behavior and affect during marital conflict predicted increases in wives’ depressive symptoms, but only for wives who made low levels of responsibility attributions about their partner. The findings suggest that, for husbands, low levels of negative marital attributions for spouses may be protective, strengthening the positive effect of constructive conflict behaviors for their mental health, whereas for wives low levels of responsibility attributions about their spouse may be a risk factor, exacerbating the negative effect of negative marital conflict behaviors on their later depressive symptoms. PMID:26751758

Interplay between marital attributions and conflict behavior in predicting depressive symptoms.

PubMed

Ellison, Jenna K; Kouros, Chrystyna D; Papp, Lauren M; Cummings, E Mark

2016-03-01

Marital attributions-that is, causal inferences and explanations spouses make about their partners' behavior-have been implicated as predictors of relationship functioning. Extending previous work, we examined marital attributions as a moderator of the link between marital conflict and depressive symptoms 1 year later. Participants were 284 couples who reported on marital attributions and depressive symptoms. Couples also engaged in a videotaped marital conflict interaction, which was later coded for specific conflict behaviors. The results showed that husbands' and wives' marital attributions about their partner moderated relations between marital conflict behavior and later depressive symptoms, controlling for global marital sentiments. For husbands, positive behavior and affect during marital conflict predicted a decrease in depressive symptoms, but only for husbands' who made low levels of responsibility and causal attributions about their wives. Wives' causal attributions about their partner also moderated relations between positive behavior and affect during marital conflict and husbands' later depressive symptoms. Reflecting an unexpected finding, negative behavior and affect during marital conflict predicted increases in wives' depressive symptoms, but only for wives who made low levels of responsibility attributions about their partner. The findings suggest that, for husbands, low levels of negative marital attributions for spouses may be protective, strengthening the positive effect of constructive conflict behaviors for their mental health, whereas for wives low levels of responsibility attributions about their spouse may be a risk factor, exacerbating the negative effect of negative marital conflict behaviors on their later depressive symptoms. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Guilty pleasures: The effect of perceived overeating on food addiction attributions and snack choice.

PubMed

Ruddock, Helen K; Hardman, Charlotte A

2018-02-01

Despite being widely debated throughout the scientific community, the concept of food addiction remains a popular explanation for overeating and obesity amongst the lay public. Overeating is often accompanied by feelings of guilt and dietary concern, and this may lead people to attribute their eating to an addiction in order to minimise personal responsibility. Research also indicates that food addiction attributions and dietary concern may lead people to limit their exposure to tempting foods. To test these ideas, we examined the effect of perceived overeating on food addiction attributions and snack choice. Subjective ratings of guilt and dietary concern were indirectly manipulated by leading female participants (N=90) to believe they had eaten more than (overeating condition), less than (undereating condition), or roughly the same (control condition) amount of palatable foods in relation to their own estimated consumption and to previous participants. Participants then rated the relative importance of a list of explanations for their eating (including "the foods were really addictive") and selected a snack to take home with them. Ratings of guilt and dietary concern were highest in the overeating condition, and lowest in the undereating condition, indicating that the manipulation had been successful. However, findings revealed no effect of condition on food addiction attributions. As predicted, participants in the overeating condition selected less tempting snacks than in the undereating condition. However, this effect was not mediated by guilt/dietary concern. There was also no association between food-addiction attributions and snack choice. These findings suggest that perceived overeating affects snack choice but not food addiction attributions. Future research should investigate whether food addiction attributions may be driven by feelings of guilt and dietary concern following longer-term disinhibited eating patterns. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Cantharidin biosynthesis in a blister beetle: inhibition by 6-fluoromevalonate causes chemical disarmament.

PubMed

Carrel, J E; Doom, J P; McCormick, J P

1986-07-15

Biosynthesis of cantharidin in a blister beetle, Lytta polita, is effectively inhibited by 6-fluoromevalonate. Inhibition is attributed specifically to the fluorine substituent. Biochemical inhibition has not been demonstrated previously for an arthropod's defensive substance.

Eclipse-induced wind changes over the British Isles on the 20 March 2015

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The British Isles benefits from dense meteorological observation networks, enabling insights into the still-unresolved effects of solar eclipse events on the near-surface wind field. The near-surface effects of the solar eclipse of 20 March 2015 are derived through comparison of output from the Met Office’s operational weather forecast model (which is ignorant of the eclipse) with data from two meteorological networks: the Met Office’s land surface station (MIDAS) network and a roadside measurement network operated by Vaisala. Synoptic-evolution relative calculations reveal the cooling and increase in relative humidity almost universally attributed to eclipse events. In addition, a slackening of wind speeds by up to about 2 knots in already weak winds and backing in wind direction of about 20° under clear skies across middle England are attributed to the eclipse event. The slackening of wind speed is consistent with the previously reported boundary layer stabilization during eclipse events. Wind direction changes have previously been attributed to a large-scale ‘eclipse-induced cold-cored cyclone’, mountain slope flows, and changes in the strength of sea breezes. A new explanation is proposed here by analogy with nocturnal wind changes at sunset and shown to predict direction changes consistent with those observed. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Atmospheric effects of solar eclipses stimulated by the 2015 UK eclipse’. PMID:27550759

State-level estimates of obesity-attributable costs of absenteeism.

PubMed

Andreyeva, Tatiana; Luedicke, Joerg; Wang, Y Claire

2014-11-01

To provide state-level estimates of obesity-attributable costs of absenteeism among working adults in the United States. Nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1998 to 2008 and from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 2012 are examined. The outcome is obesity-attributable workdays missed in the previous year because of health and their costs to states. Obesity, but not overweight, is associated with a significant increase in workdays absent, from 1.1 to 1.7 extra days missed annually compared with normal-weight employees. Obesity-attributable absenteeism among American workers costs the nation an estimated $8.65 billion per year. Obesity imposes a considerable financial burden on states, accounting for 6.5% to 12.6% of total absenteeism costs in the workplace. State legislatures and employers should seek effective ways to reduce these costs.

Revisiting the Complementarity between Education and Training--The Role of Job Tasks and Firm Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Görlitz, Katja; Tamm, Marcus

2016-01-01

This paper addresses the question to what extent the strong positive correlation between education and training can be attributed to differences in individual-, job- and firm-specific characteristics. The novelty of this paper is to analyze previously unconsidered characteristics, in particular, job tasks and firm-fixed effects. The results show…

Factors Relating to Staff Attributions of Control over Challenging Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dilworth, Jennifer A.; Phillips, Neil; Rose, John

2011-01-01

Background: Previous research has suggested that severity of intellectual disability (ID) and topography of behaviour may influence staff causal attributions regarding challenging behaviour. Subsequently, these causal attributions may influence helping behaviours. This study investigated the relationship between attributions of control over…

The Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project: the effects of forest management on the forest ecosystem

Treesearch

Brian Brookshire; Carl Hauser

1993-01-01

The effects of forest management on non-timber resources are of growing concern to forest managers and the public. While many previous studies have reported effects of stand-level treatments (less than 15 ha) on various stand-level attributes, few studies have attempted to document the influence of forest management on the biotic and abiotic characteristics of entire...

Agency attributions of mental effort during self-regulated learning.

PubMed

Koriat, Asher

2018-04-01

Previous results suggest that the monitoring of one's own performance during self-regulated learning is mediated by self-agency attributions and that these attributions can be influenced by poststudy effort-framing instructions. These results pose a challenge to the study of issues of self-agency in metacognition when the objects of self-regulation are mental operations rather than motor actions that have observable outcomes. When participants studied items in Experiment 1 under time pressure, they invested greater study effort in the easier items in the list. However, the effects of effort framing were the same as when learners typically invest more study effort in the more difficult items: Judgments of learning (JOLs) decreased with effort when instructions biased the attribution of effort to nonagentic sources but increased when they biased attribution to agentic sources. However, the effects of effort framing were constrained by parameters of the study task: Interitem differences in difficulty constrained the attribution of effort to agentic regulation (Experiment 2) whereas interitem differences in the incentive for recall constrained the attribution of effort to nonagentic sources (Experiment 3). The results suggest that the regulation and attribution of effort during self-regulated learning occur within a module that is dissociated from the learner's superordinate agenda but is sensitive to parameters of the task. A model specifies the stage at which effort framing affects the effort-JOL relationship by biasing the attribution of effort to agentic or nonagentic sources. The potentialities that exist in metacognition for the investigation of issues of self-agency are discussed.

Fear of cancer recurrence and psychological well-being in women with breast cancer: The role of causal cancer attributions and optimism.

PubMed

Dumalaon-Canaria, J A; Prichard, I; Hutchinson, A D; Wilson, C

2018-01-01

This study aims to examine the association between cancer causal attributions, fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and psychological well-being and the possible moderating effect of optimism among women with a previous diagnosis of breast cancer. Participants (N = 314) completed an online self-report assessment of causal attributions for their own breast cancer, FCR, psychological well-being and optimism. Simultaneous multiple regression analyses were conducted to explore the overall contribution of causal attributions to FCR and psychological well-being separately. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were also utilised to examine the potential moderating influence of dispositional optimism on the relationship between causal attributions and FCR and psychological well-being. Causal attributions of environmental exposures, family history and stress were significantly associated with higher FCR. The attribution of stress was also significantly associated with lower psychological well-being. Optimism did not moderate the relationship between causal attributions and FCR or well-being. The observed relationships between causal attributions for breast cancer and FCR and psychological well-being suggest that the inclusion of causal attributions in screening for FCR is potentially important. Health professionals may need to provide greater psychological support to women who attribute their cancer to non-modifiable causes and consequently continue to experience distress. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using attribute amnesia to test the limits of hyper-binding and associative deficits in working memory.

PubMed

McCormick-Huhn, John M; Chen, Hui; Wyble, Bradley P; Dennis, Nancy A

2018-02-01

Previous work has shown mixed evidence regarding age-related deficits for binding in working memory. The current study used the newly developed attribute amnesia effect (H. Chen & Wyble, 2015a) to test the associative-deficit hypothesis during working memory and to probe whether hyper-binding extends to include binding of de-selected information. In studies of attribute amnesia, participants use target attributes (e.g., identity, color) to demonstrate near ceiling levels of reporting of a second target attribute (e.g., location) across a series of trials (H. Chen & Wyble, 2015a, 2016). Yet, despite having just processed the target-defining attribute, they have difficulty reporting it on a surprise trial. This effect provides several predictions for associative binding in aging. The associative-deficit hypothesis predicts age-related decline on the surprise trial, whereas an extension of hyper-binding predicts age-related increase in performance in older adults. In Experiment 1, when working memory load was low, older adults demonstrated attribute amnesia equal to that found in younger adults. When load increased in Experiment 2, older adults again demonstrated attribute amnesia as well as an age deficit for reporting target attributes. In lieu of spontaneous binding, results suggest that expectancy plays a critical role in older adults' propensity to encode and bind target attributes in working memory. Results further suggest that expectancy alone is not enough for older adults to form bound representations when task demands are high. Taken together results revealed a boundary condition of hyper-binding and further provided conditional support for the associative-deficit hypothesis in working memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of the Previous Typhoon on the Track of the Following Typhoon: Bolaven (1215) and Tembin (1214)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, M.; Choi, Y.; Ha, K. J.

2017-12-01

The effects of sea surface temperature (SST) gradient induced by the previous typhoon and intensity of the previous typhoon on the following typhoon motion over East Asia have been investigated using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for the previous Typhoon Bolaven (1215) and following Typhoon Tembin (1214). Using the WRF experiments for the imposed cold wake over Yellow Sea (YS) and over East China Sea (ECS), this study demonstrates that the effects of eastward SST gradient including cold wake over YS is much significant rather than that over ECS in relation to unexpected Tembin's deflection and the effect of the strong previous typhoon is faster than weaker previous typhoon in relation to Tembin. This difference between two experiments is attributed to the fact that cold wake over YS increases the magnitude of SST gradient under the eastward SST gradient around East Asia and the resultant asymmetric flow deflects Typhoon Tembin eastward, which is mainly due to the different atmospheric response to the SST forcing between ECS and YS. the effect of the previous typhoon intensity developed mid-latitude trough and makes the following typhoon favorable to move fast.

Air pollution or global warming: Attribution of extreme precipitation changes in eastern China—Comments on "Trends of extreme precipitation in Eastern China and their possible causes"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuan

2015-10-01

The recent study "Trends of Extreme Precipitation in Eastern China and Their Possible Causes" attributed the observed decrease/increase of light/heavy precipitation in eastern China to global warming rather than the regional aerosol effects. However, there exist compelling evidence from previous long-term observations and numerical modeling studies, suggesting that anthropogenic pollution is closely linked to the recent changes in precipitation intensity because of considerably modulated cloud physical properties by aerosols in eastern China. Clearly, a quantitative assessment of the aerosol and greenhouse effects on the regional scale is required to identify the primary cause for the extreme precipitation changes.

Novel technology for measuring animal movement on rangelands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous comparisons of animal responses to grazing management have largely focused on animal weight gains. As a result, we have an incomplete understanding of the effects of grazing management on attributes such as animal movement. Moreover, the influence of animal movement such as the distance tra...

Walnut extract modulates activation of microglia through alteration in intracellular calcium concentration

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous data from our laboratory demonstrated that treatment with walnut extracts (WN) protects cells against oxidative and inflammatory cytotoxicity and promotes anti-inflammatory activities. The current study was undertaken to test whether the anti-inflammatory effects of WN are attributed to its...

State-Level Estimates of Obesity-Attributable Costs of Absenteeism

PubMed Central

Andreyeva, Tatiana; Luedicke, Joerg; Wang, Y. Claire

2014-01-01

Objective To provide state-level estimates of obesity-attributable costs of absenteeism among working adults in the U.S. Methods Nationally-representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for 1998–2008 and from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for 2012 are examined. The outcome is obesity-attributable workdays missed in the previous year due to health, and their costs to states. Results Obesity, but not overweight, is associated with a significant increase in workdays absent, from 1.1 to 1.7 extra days missed annually compared to normal weight employees. Obesity-attributable absenteeism among American workers costs the nation an estimated $8.65 billion per year. Conclusion Obesity imposes a considerable financial burden on states, accounting for 6.5%–12.6% of total absenteeism costs in the workplace. State legislature and employers should seek effective ways to reduce these costs. PMID:25376405

Isotretinoin revisited: pluripotent effects on human sebaceous gland cells.

PubMed

Zouboulis, Christos C

2006-10-01

Nelson et al. confirmed the previously described antiproliferative effect of isotretinoin on human sebocytes. They attributed a portion of this decrease to cell cycle arrest and detected sebocyte apoptosis, which was not recapitulated by alitretinoin or tretinoin. These events were specific to sebocytes, as isotretinoin failed to induce apoptosis in keratinocytes. Isotretinoin-induced apoptosis was shown to be an RAR-independent mechanism.

Development and Validation of the Poverty Attributions Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Robert M.; Raiz, Lisa; Davis, Tamara S.

2016-01-01

This article describes the process of developing and testing the Poverty Attribution Survey (PAS), a measure of poverty attributions. The PAS is theory based and includes original items as well as items from previously tested poverty attribution instruments. The PAS was electronically administered to a sample of state-licensed professional social…

Positive and Negative Reinforcement Effects on Behavior in a Three-Person Microsociety.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-01

Per-hour earning potential uas roughly equivalent among the groups. Prdr The consequences of ompletlng a work trip were varied to assess the effects ...31 abandoned his previously established pattern. These effects are attributable, at least In part, to the style of alternating work that the... working under aversive control. These effects suggest that the functional properties of work (C-.h. oonsequences) were far more significant to the group

The coherence effect: Blending cold and hot cognitions.

PubMed

Simon, Dan; Stenstrom, Douglas M; Read, Stephen J

2015-09-01

Previous research has shown that making complex judgments and decisions entails a mental reconstruction of the task in a way that increases the state of coherence between the emerging conclusion and its underlying attributes: The attributes that support the conclusion grow stronger, whereas the attributes that support the losing option weaken. This coherence effect is understood to occur bidirectionally, in that conclusions follow from the decision-maker's evaluation of the attributes, while the evaluations of the attributes shift to cohere with the emerging conclusion. The current studies were designed to extend the coherence effect to encompass cognitions that could be considered "hot," such as valence evaluations, motivation toward outcomes of events, liking and disliking of actors, and emotions toward actors. Study 1 found that evaluations of a complex social relationship were accompanied not only by supportive interpretations of the ambiguous facts, but also by concordant hot cognitions. Studies 2 through 4 included manipulations to demonstrate the spreading of coherence from cold to hot cognitions and in the opposite direction. We observed these effects following a manipulation of the facts (Study 2), a manipulation of participants' emotions toward the actor (Study 3), and a manipulation of participants' motivation toward the outcome of the case (Study 4). These results support the proposition that complex judgments and decisions are performed by coherence-based reasoning: a holistic, connectionist process that maximizes coherence among and between the myriad of factors involved in the tasks and the hot cognitive reactions to them. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

How Does Knowledge Promote Memory? The Distinctiveness Theory of Skilled Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rawson, Katherine A.; Van Overschelde, James P.

2008-01-01

The robust effects of knowledge on memory for domain-relevant information reported in previous research have largely been attributed to improved organizational processing. The present research proposes the distinctiveness theory of skilled memory, which states that knowledge improves memory not only through improved organizational processing but…

Administrative Attribution Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frasher, James M.; Frasher, Ramona S.

1981-01-01

Hypothesizes that the growing body of empirical data concerning attribution theory offers insight into the administrative process. To stimulate research to test this hypothesis, presents previous relevant research and a theory entitled Administrative Attribution Theory. Research questions applying the theory to educational administration are…

Concreteness and relational effects on recall of adjective-noun pairs.

PubMed

Paivio, A; Khan, M; Begg, I

2000-09-01

Extending previous research on the problem, we studied the effects of concreteness and relatedness of adjective-noun pairs on free recall, cued recall, and memory integration. Two experiments varied the attributes in paired associates lists or sentences. Consistent with predictions from dual coding theory and prior results with noun-noun pairs, both experiments showed that the effects of concreteness were strong and independent of relatedness in free recall and cued recall. The generally positive effects of relatedness were absent in the case of free recall of sentences. The two attributes also had independent (additive) effects on integrative memory as measured by conditionalized free recall of pairs. Integration as measured by the increment from free to cued recall occurred consistently only when pairs were high in both concreteness and relatedness. Explanations focused on dual coding and relational-distinctiveness processing theories as well as task variables that affect integration measures.

Message Modality and Source Credibility Can Interact to Affect Argument Processing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Booth-Butterfield, Steve; Gutowski, Christine

1993-01-01

Extends previous modality and source cue studies by manipulating argument quality. Randomly assigned college students by class to an argument quality by source attribute by modality factorial experiment. Finds the print mode produces only argument main effects, and audio and video modes produce argument by cue interactions. Finds data inconsistent…

A Review of Elementary School-Based Substance Use Prevention Programs: Identifying Program Attributes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopfer, S.; Davis, D.; Kam, J. A.; Shin, Y.; Elek, E.; Hecht, M. L.

2010-01-01

This article takes a systematic approach to reviewing substance use prevention programs introduced in elementary school (K-6th grade). Previous studies evaluating such programs among elementary school students showed mixed effects on subsequent substance use and related psychosocial factors. Thirty published evaluation studies of 24 elementary…

The effects of high pressure treatments on C. jejuni in ground poultry products containing polyphosphate additives

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Marinades containing polyphosphates have been previously implicated in the enhanced survival of Campylobacter spp. in poultry product exudates. The enhanced Campylobacter survival was attributed primarily to the ability of some polyphosphates to change the pH of the exudate to one more amenable to ...

Attaining insight into interactions between hydrologic model parameters and geophysical attributes for national-scale model parameter estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizukami, N.; Clark, M. P.; Newman, A. J.; Wood, A.; Gutmann, E. D.

2017-12-01

Estimating spatially distributed model parameters is a grand challenge for large domain hydrologic modeling, especially in the context of hydrologic model applications such as streamflow forecasting. Multi-scale Parameter Regionalization (MPR) is a promising technique that accounts for the effects of fine-scale geophysical attributes (e.g., soil texture, land cover, topography, climate) on model parameters and nonlinear scaling effects on model parameters. MPR computes model parameters with transfer functions (TFs) that relate geophysical attributes to model parameters at the native input data resolution and then scales them using scaling functions to the spatial resolution of the model implementation. One of the biggest challenges in the use of MPR is identification of TFs for each model parameter: both functional forms and geophysical predictors. TFs used to estimate the parameters of hydrologic models typically rely on previous studies or were derived in an ad-hoc, heuristic manner, potentially not utilizing maximum information content contained in the geophysical attributes for optimal parameter identification. Thus, it is necessary to first uncover relationships among geophysical attributes, model parameters, and hydrologic processes (i.e., hydrologic signatures) to obtain insight into which and to what extent geophysical attributes are related to model parameters. We perform multivariate statistical analysis on a large-sample catchment data set including various geophysical attributes as well as constrained VIC model parameters at 671 unimpaired basins over the CONUS. We first calibrate VIC model at each catchment to obtain constrained parameter sets. Additionally, parameter sets sampled during the calibration process are used for sensitivity analysis using various hydrologic signatures as objectives to understand the relationships among geophysical attributes, parameters, and hydrologic processes.

Improved object optimal synthetic description, modeling, learning, and discrimination by GEOGINE computational kernel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiorini, Rodolfo A.; Dacquino, Gianfranco

2005-03-01

GEOGINE (GEOmetrical enGINE), a state-of-the-art OMG (Ontological Model Generator) based on n-D Tensor Invariants for n-Dimensional shape/texture optimal synthetic representation, description and learning, was presented in previous conferences elsewhere recently. Improved computational algorithms based on the computational invariant theory of finite groups in Euclidean space and a demo application is presented. Progressive model automatic generation is discussed. GEOGINE can be used as an efficient computational kernel for fast reliable application development and delivery in advanced biomedical engineering, biometric, intelligent computing, target recognition, content image retrieval, data mining technological areas mainly. Ontology can be regarded as a logical theory accounting for the intended meaning of a formal dictionary, i.e., its ontological commitment to a particular conceptualization of the world object. According to this approach, "n-D Tensor Calculus" can be considered a "Formal Language" to reliably compute optimized "n-Dimensional Tensor Invariants" as specific object "invariant parameter and attribute words" for automated n-Dimensional shape/texture optimal synthetic object description by incremental model generation. The class of those "invariant parameter and attribute words" can be thought as a specific "Formal Vocabulary" learned from a "Generalized Formal Dictionary" of the "Computational Tensor Invariants" language. Even object chromatic attributes can be effectively and reliably computed from object geometric parameters into robust colour shape invariant characteristics. As a matter of fact, any highly sophisticated application needing effective, robust object geometric/colour invariant attribute capture and parameterization features, for reliable automated object learning and discrimination can deeply benefit from GEOGINE progressive automated model generation computational kernel performance. Main operational advantages over previous, similar approaches are: 1) Progressive Automated Invariant Model Generation, 2) Invariant Minimal Complete Description Set for computational efficiency, 3) Arbitrary Model Precision for robust object description and identification.

When gentlemen are first and ladies are last: effects of gender stereotypes on the order of romantic partners' names.

PubMed

Hegarty, Peter; Watson, Nila; Fletcher, Laura; McQueen, Grant

2011-03-01

A preference to name stereotypically masculine before stereotypically feminine individuals explains why men are typically named before women, as on the Internet, for example (Study 1). Heterosexual couples are named with men's names first more often when such couples are imagined to conform to gender stereotypes (Studies 2 and 3). First-named partners of imaginary same-sex couples are attributed more stereotypically masculine attributes (Study 4). Familiarity bounds these effects of stereotypes on name order. People name couples they know well with closer people first (Study 5), and consequently name familiar heterosexual couples with members of their own gender first (Study 6). These studies evidence a previously unknown effect of the semantics of gender stereotypes on sentence structure in the everyday use of English. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.

Smoking and Adverse Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in Brazil

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Introduction: Numerous studies from high-income countries document the causal relationship between cigarette smoking during pregnancy and adverse maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. Less research has been conducted in low and middle income countries, but a burgeoning literature can be found for Brazil. Methods: We review Brazilian studies of the prevalence of maternal smoking, the relative risk of smoking-attributable adverse MCH outcomes, and present new estimates for these outcomes, using the attributable fraction method. Results: We found that Brazilian studies of the relative risks of smoking-attributable adverse MCH outcomes were broadly consistent with previous reviews. Based on a comparison of maternal smoking over time, smoking during pregnancy has declined by about 50% over the last 20 years in Brazil. For 2008, we estimate that 5,352 cases of spontaneous abortion, 10,929 cases of preterm birth, 20,717 cases of low birth weight, and 29 cases of sudden infant death syndrome are attributable to maternal smoking. Between 1989 and 2008, the percent of smoking-attributable adverse MCH outcomes in Brazil was at least halved. Conclusions: The results show that over a 20-year period, during which Brazil implemented numerous effective tobacco control measures, the country experienced a dramatic decrease in both maternal smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable adverse MCH outcomes. Countries that implement effective tobacco control measures can expect to reduce both maternal smoking and adverse MCH outcomes, thereby improving the public health. PMID:23873977

Gender Attribution and Gender Agreement in French Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boloh, Yves; Ibernon, Laure; Royer, Stephanie; Escudier, Frederique; Danillon, Aurelia

2009-01-01

Previous studies on grammatical gender in French individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have led to conflicting findings and interpretations regarding keys abilities--gender attribution and gender agreement. New production data from a larger SW sample (N = 24) showed that gender attribution scores in SW participants exactly mirrored those of…

The Fabric of Meaning and Subjective Effects in LSD-Induced States Depend on Serotonin 2A Receptor Activation.

PubMed

Preller, Katrin H; Herdener, Marcus; Pokorny, Thomas; Planzer, Amanda; Kraehenmann, Rainer; Stämpfli, Philipp; Liechti, Matthias E; Seifritz, Erich; Vollenweider, Franz X

2017-02-06

A core aspect of the human self is the attribution of personal relevance to everyday stimuli enabling us to experience our environment as meaningful [1]. However, abnormalities in the attribution of personal relevance to sensory experiences are also critical features of many psychiatric disorders [2, 3]. Despite their clinical relevance, the neurochemical and anatomical substrates enabling meaningful experiences are largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated the neuropharmacology of personal relevance processing in humans by combining fMRI and the administration of the mixed serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine receptor (R) agonist lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), well known to alter the subjective meaning of percepts, with and without pretreatment with the 5-HT 2A R antagonist ketanserin. General subjective LSD effects were fully blocked by ketanserin. In addition, ketanserin inhibited the LSD-induced attribution of personal relevance to previously meaningless stimuli and modulated the processing of meaningful stimuli in cortical midline structures. These findings point to the crucial role of the 5-HT 2A R subtype and cortical midline regions in the generation and attribution of personal relevance. Our results thus increase our mechanistic understanding of personal relevance processing and reveal potential targets for the treatment of psychiatric illnesses characterized by alterations in personal relevance attribution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do contrails significantly reduce daily temperature range?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Gang; Yang, Ping; Minnis, Patrick; Hu, Yong X.; North, Gerald

2008-12-01

One of the most visible anthropogenic phenomena in the atmosphere is the occurrence of contrails. The direct effects of contrails on surface temperature are investigated on the basis of the data sets for the cloud cover and surface temperature over the conterminous United States for the period 1971-2001. It is shown that the increase of the average daily temperature range (DTR) over the United States during the three-day grounding period of 11-14 September 2001 cannot be attributed to the absence of contrails, a subject was debated in several previous studies. The present analysis suggests that the DTR is attributed to the change of low cloudiness.

Self-regulated learning processes of medical students during an academic learning task.

PubMed

Gandomkar, Roghayeh; Mirzazadeh, Azim; Jalili, Mohammad; Yazdani, Kamran; Fata, Ladan; Sandars, John

2016-10-01

This study was designed to identify the self-regulated learning (SRL) processes of medical students during a biomedical science learning task and to examine the associations of the SRL processes with previous performance in biomedical science examinations and subsequent performance on a learning task. A sample of 76 Year 1 medical students were recruited based on their performance in biomedical science examinations and stratified into previous high and low performers. Participants were asked to complete a biomedical science learning task. Participants' SRL processes were assessed before (self-efficacy, goal setting and strategic planning), during (metacognitive monitoring) and after (causal attributions and adaptive inferences) their completion of the task using an SRL microanalytic interview. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the means and frequencies of SRL processes. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations of SRL processes with previous examination performance and the learning task performance. Most participants (from 88.2% to 43.4%) reported task-specific processes for SRL measures. Students who exhibited higher self-efficacy (odds ratio [OR] 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.90) and reported task-specific processes for metacognitive monitoring (OR 6.61, 95% CI 1.68-25.93) and causal attributions (OR 6.75, 95% CI 2.05-22.25) measures were more likely to be high previous performers. Multiple analysis revealed that similar SRL measures were associated with previous performance. The use of task-specific processes for causal attributions (OR 23.00, 95% CI 4.57-115.76) and adaptive inferences (OR 27.00, 95% CI 3.39-214.95) measures were associated with being a high learning task performer. In multiple analysis, only the causal attributions measure was associated with high learning task performance. Self-efficacy, metacognitive monitoring and causal attributions measures were associated positively with previous performance. Causal attributions and adaptive inferences measures were associated positively with learning task performance. These findings may inform remediation interventions in the early years of medical school training. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

The Manuscript That We Finished: Structural Separation Reduces the Cost of Complement Coercion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowder, Matthew W.; Gordon, Peter C.

2015-01-01

Two eye-tracking experiments examined the effects of sentence structure on the processing of complement coercion, in which an event-selecting verb combines with a complement that represents an entity (e.g., "began the memo"). Previous work has demonstrated that these expressions impose a processing cost, which has been attributed to the…

Training the Poor. A Benefit-Cost Analysis of Manpower Programs in the U.S. Antipoverty Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sewell, D. O.

This report critically reviews past benefit-cost studies of manpower programs and offers an alternative methodology for program evaluation. Because of selective admission criteria and a tendency to attribute all income changes to training, previous studies have had an upward bias in measuring the effectiveness of training. This study evaluates a…

Women's Stereotypic Roles: A Replication and Standardization of the AWS and PAQ for Selected Ethnic Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, Edwin E.; And Others

A replication of two previous studies, this study examined the effect of both sex and ethnicity on attitudes toward women, self-reported masculinity-femininity, and masculine-feminine stereotypic attitudes. The Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS) and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) were administered to 367 college students (112 Anglos,…

Incongruent Abstract Stimulus-Response Bindings Result in Response Interference: fMRI and EEG Evidence from Visual Object Classification Priming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horner, Aidan J.; Henson, Richard N.

2012-01-01

Stimulus repetition often leads to facilitated processing, resulting in neural decreases (repetition suppression) and faster RTs (repetition priming). Such repetition-related effects have been attributed to the facilitation of repeated cognitive processes and/or the retrieval of previously encoded stimulus-response (S-R) bindings. Although…

Gender Differences in Figural Matrices: The Moderating Role of Item Design Features

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arendasy, Martin E.; Sommer, Markus

2012-01-01

There is a heated debate on whether observed gender differences in some figural matrices in adults can be attributed to gender differences in inductive reasoning/G[subscript f] or differential item functioning and/or test bias. Based on previous studies we hypothesized that three specific item design features moderate the effect size of the gender…

Not That Heart-Stopping After All: Visuo-Cardiac Synchrony Does Not Boost Self-Face Attribution

PubMed Central

Porciello, Giuseppina; Daum, Moritz M.; Menghini, Cristina; Brugger, Peter; Lenggenhager, Bigna

2016-01-01

Recent experimental evidence and theoretical models suggest that an integration of exteroceptive and interoceptive signals underlies several key aspects of the bodily self. While it has been shown that self-attribution of both the hand and the full-body are altered by conflicting extero-exteroceptive (e.g. visuo-tactile) and extero-interoceptive (e.g. visuo-cardiac) information, no study has thus far investigated whether self-attribution of the face might be altered by visuo-cardiac stimulation similarly to visuo-tactile stimulation. In three independent groups of participants we presented ambiguous (i.e. morphed with a stranger's face) self-faces flashing synchronously or asynchronously with the participants’ heartbeat. We then measured the subjective percentages of self-face attribution of morphed stimuli. To control for a potential effect of visuo-cardiac synchrony on familiarity, a task assessing the attribution of a familiar face was introduced. Moreover, different durations of visuo-cardiac flashing and different degrees of asynchronicity were used. Based on previous studies showing that synchronous visuo-cardiac stimulation generally increases self-attribution of the full-body and the hand, and that synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation increases self-face attribution, we predicted higher self-face attribution during the synchronous visuo-cardiac flashing of the morphed stimuli. In contrast to this hypothesis, the results showed no difference between synchronous and asynchronous stimulation on self-face attribution in any of the three studies. We thus conclude that visuo-cardiac synchrony does not boost self-attribution of the face as it does that of hand and full-body. PMID:27541587

Not That Heart-Stopping After All: Visuo-Cardiac Synchrony Does Not Boost Self-Face Attribution.

PubMed

Porciello, Giuseppina; Daum, Moritz M; Menghini, Cristina; Brugger, Peter; Lenggenhager, Bigna

2016-01-01

Recent experimental evidence and theoretical models suggest that an integration of exteroceptive and interoceptive signals underlies several key aspects of the bodily self. While it has been shown that self-attribution of both the hand and the full-body are altered by conflicting extero-exteroceptive (e.g. visuo-tactile) and extero-interoceptive (e.g. visuo-cardiac) information, no study has thus far investigated whether self-attribution of the face might be altered by visuo-cardiac stimulation similarly to visuo-tactile stimulation. In three independent groups of participants we presented ambiguous (i.e. morphed with a stranger's face) self-faces flashing synchronously or asynchronously with the participants' heartbeat. We then measured the subjective percentages of self-face attribution of morphed stimuli. To control for a potential effect of visuo-cardiac synchrony on familiarity, a task assessing the attribution of a familiar face was introduced. Moreover, different durations of visuo-cardiac flashing and different degrees of asynchronicity were used. Based on previous studies showing that synchronous visuo-cardiac stimulation generally increases self-attribution of the full-body and the hand, and that synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation increases self-face attribution, we predicted higher self-face attribution during the synchronous visuo-cardiac flashing of the morphed stimuli. In contrast to this hypothesis, the results showed no difference between synchronous and asynchronous stimulation on self-face attribution in any of the three studies. We thus conclude that visuo-cardiac synchrony does not boost self-attribution of the face as it does that of hand and full-body.

The Stimulus Movement Effect: Allocation of Attention or Artifact?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Washburn, David A.

1993-01-01

In previous reports, including one by the author, learning has been shown to benefit by having discriminanda move rather than remain stationary. This stimulus movement effect might be attributed to several theoretical mechanisms, including attention, topological memory, and exposure duration. The series of experiments reported in this article was designed to Contrast these potential explanatory factors. Ten rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were tested on a variety of computerized tasks in which the stimuli remained stationary, flashed, or moved at systematically varied speeds. Performance was significantly best when the sample stimulus moved quickly and was poorest when the stimulus remained stationary. Further analysis of these data and other previously published data revealed that the distribution of the stimulus movement effect across trials supported an attention allocation interpretation.

The impact of event vividness, event severity, and prior paranormal belief on attributions towards a depicted remarkable coincidence experience: Two studies examining the misattribution hypothesis.

PubMed

Rogers, Paul; Qualter, Pamela; Wood, Dave

2016-11-01

Two studies examine the impact event vividness, event severity, and prior paranormal belief has on causal attributions for a depicted remarkable coincidence experience. In Study 1, respondents (n = 179) read a hypothetical vignette in which a fictional character accurately predicts a plane crash 1 day before it occurs. The crash was described in either vivid or pallid terms with the final outcome being either severe (fatal) or non-severe (non-fatal). Respondents completed 29 causal attribution items, one attribution confidence item, nine scenario perception items, a popular paranormal belief scale, and a standard demographics questionnaire. Principal axis factoring reduced the 29 attribution items to four attribution factors which were then subjected to a 2 (event vividness) × 2 (event severity) × 2 (paranormal belief) MANCOVA controlling for respondent gender. As expected, paranormal believers attributed the accurate crash prediction less to coincidence and more to both paranormal and transcendental knowing than did paranormal sceptics. Furthermore, paranormal (psychokinesis) believers deemed the prediction more reflective of paranormal knowing to both (1) a vivid/non-fatal and (2) a pallid/fatal crash depiction. Vividness, severity, and paranormal belief types had no impact on attribution confidence. In Study 2, respondents (also n = 179) generated data that were a moderately good fit to the previous factor structure and replicated several differences across attributional pairings albeit for paranormal non-believers only. Corresponding effects for event severity and paranormal belief were not replicated. Findings are discussed in terms of their support for the paranormal misattribution hypothesis and the impact of availability biases in the form of both vividness and severity effects. Methodological issues and future research ideas are also discussed. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Acute Gastrointestinal Illness Risks in North Carolina Community Water Systems: A Methodological Comparison.

PubMed

DeFelice, Nicholas B; Johnston, Jill E; Gibson, Jacqueline MacDonald

2015-08-18

The magnitude and spatial variability of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) cases attributable to microbial contamination of U.S. community drinking water systems are not well characterized. We compared three approaches (drinking water attributable risk, quantitative microbial risk assessment, and population intervention model) to estimate the annual number of emergency department visits for AGI attributable to microorganisms in North Carolina community water systems. All three methods used 2007-2013 water monitoring and emergency department data obtained from state agencies. The drinking water attributable risk method, which was the basis for previous U.S. Environmental Protection Agency national risk assessments, estimated that 7.9% of annual emergency department visits for AGI are attributable to microbial contamination of community water systems. However, the other methods' estimates were more than 2 orders of magnitude lower, each attributing 0.047% of annual emergency department visits for AGI to community water system contamination. The differences in results between the drinking water attributable risk method, which has been the main basis for previous national risk estimates, and the other two approaches highlight the need to improve methods for estimating endemic waterborne disease risks, in order to prioritize investments to improve community drinking water systems.

The Task-Relevant Attribute Representation Can Mediate the Simon Effect

PubMed Central

Chen, Antao

2014-01-01

Researchers have previously suggested a working memory (WM) account of spatial codes, and based on this suggestion, the present study carries out three experiments to investigate how the task-relevant attribute representation (verbal or visual) in the typical Simon task affects the Simon effect. Experiment 1 compared the Simon effect between the between- and within-category color conditions, which required subjects to discriminate between red and blue stimuli (presumed to be represented by verbal WM codes because it was easy and fast to name the colors verbally) and to discriminate between two similar green stimuli (presumed to be represented by visual WM codes because it was hard and time-consuming to name the colors verbally), respectively. The results revealed a reliable Simon effect that only occurs in the between-category condition. Experiment 2 assessed the Simon effect by requiring subjects to discriminate between two different isosceles trapezoids (within-category shapes) and to discriminate isosceles trapezoid from rectangle (between-category shapes), and the results replicated and expanded the findings of Experiment 1. In Experiment 3, subjects were required to perform both tasks from Experiment 1. Wherein, in Experiment 3A, the between-category task preceded the within-category task; in Experiment 3B, the task order was opposite. The results showed the reliable Simon effect when subjects represented the task-relevant stimulus attributes by verbal WM encoding. In addition, the response times (RTs) distribution analysis for both the between- and within-category conditions of Experiments 3A and 3B showed decreased Simon effect with the RTs lengthened. Altogether, although the present results are consistent with the temporal coding account, we put forth that the Simon effect also depends on the verbal WM representation of task-relevant stimulus attribute. PMID:24618692

Propagation of a Free Flame in a Turbulent Gas Stream

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mickelsen, William R; Ernstein, Norman E

1956-01-01

Effective flame speeds of free turbulent flames were measured by photographic, ionization-gap, and photomultiplier-tube methods, and were found to have a statistical distribution attributed to the nature of the turbulent field. The effective turbulent flame speeds for the free flame were less than those previously measured for flames stabilized on nozzle burners, Bunsen burners, and bluff bodies. The statistical spread of the effective turbulent flame speeds was markedly wider in the lean and rich fuel-air-ratio regions, which might be attributed to the greater sensitivity of laminar flame speed to flame temperature in those regions. Values calculated from the turbulent free-flame-speed analysis proposed by Tucker apparently form upper limits for the statistical spread of free-flame-speed data. Hot-wire anemometer measurements of the longitudinal velocity fluctuation intensity and longitudinal correlation coefficient were made and were employed in the comparison of data and in the theoretical calculation of turbulent flame speed.

Attributional Beliefs of Singapore Students: Relations to Self-Construal, Competence and Achievement Goals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luo, Wenshu; Hogan, David J.; Yeung, Alexander Seeshing; Sheng, Yee Zher; Aye, Khin Maung

2014-01-01

This study investigates attributional beliefs of Singapore secondary students in their English study and how they can be predicted by self-construal, competence and achievement goals. A total of 1,496 students were administered surveys on seven attributions, independent and interdependent self-construals, previous achievement, self-efficacy,…

The hearing aid effect in 2013.

PubMed

Rauterkus, Erik P; Palmer, Catherine V

2014-10-01

The hearing aid effect is the term used to describe the assignment of negative attributes to individuals using hearing aids. The effect was first empirically identified in 1977 when it was reported that adults rating young children with and without hearing aids assigned negative attributes to the children depicted with hearing aids. Investigations in the 1980s and 1990s reported mixed results related to the extent of the hearing aid effect but continued to identify, on average, some negative attributes assigned to individuals wearing hearing aids. The specific aim of this research was to investigate whether the hearing aid effect has diminished in the past several decades by replicating the methods of previous studies for testing the hearing aid effect while using updated devices. Five device configurations were rated across eight attributes. RESULTS for each attribute were considered separately. A total of 24 adults judged pictures of young men wearing various ear level technologies across 8 attributes on a 7-point Likert scale. Five young men between ages 15 and 17 yr were photographed wearing each of five device configurations including (1) a standard-sized behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid coupled to an earmold with #13 tubing, (2) a mini-BTE hearing aid with a slim tube open-fit configuration, (3) a completely-in-the-canal hearing aid that could not be seen because of its location in the ear canal, (4) an earbud, and (5) a Bluetooth receiver. The 24 raters saw pictures of each of the 5 young men with each wearing one of the 5 devices so that devices and young men were never judged twice by the same observer. All judgments of each device, regardless of the young man modeling the device, were combined in the data analysis. The effect of device types on judgments was tested using a one-way between-participant analysis of variance. There was a significant difference on the judgment of age and trustworthiness level among the five devices. However, our post hoc analysis revealed that only two significant effects were present. People wearing a completely-in-the-canal aid (nothing visible in the ear) were rated significantly older than people wearing an earbud, and people wearing the standard-size BTE with earmold were rated significantly more trustworthy than people who wore the Bluetooth device. It was hypothesized that the hearing aid effect would be diminished in 2013 compared with data reported in the past. This proved to be the case, as no hearing aid condition was rated as more negative than any of the non-hearing aid device conditions. In fact, models wearing the standard-size BTE with earmold were rated as more trustworthy than models wearing the Bluetooth device. The standard-sized BTE with earmold condition is the configuration that can be directly compared with previous research because similar devices were used in those studies. These results indicate that the hearing aid effect has diminished, if not completely disappeared, in the 21st century. American Academy of Audiology.

γ-radiation induced corrosion of copper in bentonite-water systems under anaerobic conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karin Norrfors, K.; Björkbacka, Åsa; Kessler, Amanda; Wold, Susanna; Jonsson, Mats

2018-03-01

In this work we have experimentally studied the impact of bentonite clay on the process of radiation-induced copper corrosion in anoxic water. The motivation for this is to further develop our understanding of radiation-driven processes occurring in deep geological repositories for spent nuclear fuel where copper canisters containing the spent nuclear fuel will be embedded in compacted bentonite. Experiments on radiation-induced corrosion in the presence and absence of bentonite were performed along with experiments elucidating the impact irradiation on the Cu2+ adsorption capacity of bentonite. The experiments presented in this work show that the presence of bentonite clay has no or very little effect on the magnitude of radiation-induced corrosion of copper in anoxic aqueous systems. The absence of a protective effect similar to that observed for radiation-induced dissolution of UO2 is attributed to differences in the corrosion mechanism. This provides further support for the previously proposed mechanism where the hydroxyl radical is the key radiolytic oxidant responsible for the corrosion of copper. The radiation effect on the bentonite sorption capacity of Cu2+ (reduced capacity) is in line with what has previously been reported for other cations. The reduced cation sorption capacity is partly attributed to a loss of Al-OH sites upon irradiation.

The Effect on Melanoma Risk of Genes Previously Associated With Telomere Length

PubMed Central

Bishop, D. Timothy; Taylor, John C.; Hayward, Nicholas K.; Brossard, Myriam; Cust, Anne E.; Dunning, Alison M.; Lee, Jeffrey E.; Moses, Eric K.; Akslen, Lars A.; Andresen, Per A.; Avril, Marie-Françoise; Azizi, Esther; Scarrà, Giovanna Bianchi; Brown, Kevin M.; Dębniak, Tadeusz; Elder, David E.; Friedman, Eitan; Ghiorzo, Paola; Gillanders, Elizabeth M.; Goldstein, Alisa M.; Gruis, Nelleke A.; Hansson, Johan; Harland, Mark; Helsing, Per; Hočevar, Marko; Höiom, Veronica; Ingvar, Christian; Kanetsky, Peter A.; Landi, Maria Teresa; Lang, Julie; Lathrop, G. Mark; Lubiński, Jan; Mackie, Rona M.; Martin, Nicholas G.; Molven, Anders; Montgomery, Grant W.; Novaković, Srdjan; Olsson, Håkan; Puig, Susana; Puig-Butille, Joan Anton; Radford-Smith, Graham L.; Randerson-Moor, Juliette; van der Stoep, Nienke; van Doorn, Remco; Whiteman, David C.; MacGregor, Stuart; Pooley, Karen A.; Ward, Sarah V.; Mann, Graham J.; Amos, Christopher I.; Pharoah, Paul D. P.; Demenais, Florence; Law, Matthew H.; Newton Bishop, Julia A.; Barrett, Jennifer H.

2014-01-01

Telomere length has been associated with risk of many cancers, but results are inconsistent. Seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously associated with mean leukocyte telomere length were either genotyped or well-imputed in 11108 case patients and 13933 control patients from Europe, Israel, the United States and Australia, four of the seven SNPs reached a P value under .05 (two-sided). A genetic score that predicts telomere length, derived from these seven SNPs, is strongly associated (P = 8.92x10-9, two-sided) with melanoma risk. This demonstrates that the previously observed association between longer telomere length and increased melanoma risk is not attributable to confounding via shared environmental effects (such as ultraviolet exposure) or reverse causality. We provide the first proof that multiple germline genetic determinants of telomere length influence cancer risk. PMID:25231748

An Expressive, Lightweight and Secure Construction of Key Policy Attribute-Based Cloud Data Sharing Access Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Guofen; Hong, Hanshu; Xia, Yunhao; Sun, Zhixin

2017-10-01

Attribute-based encryption (ABE) is an interesting cryptographic technique for flexible cloud data sharing access control. However, some open challenges hinder its practical application. In previous schemes, all attributes are considered as in the same status while they are not in most of practical scenarios. Meanwhile, the size of access policy increases dramatically with the raise of its expressiveness complexity. In addition, current research hardly notices that mobile front-end devices, such as smartphones, are poor in computational performance while too much bilinear pairing computation is needed for ABE. In this paper, we propose a key-policy weighted attribute-based encryption without bilinear pairing computation (KP-WABE-WB) for secure cloud data sharing access control. A simple weighted mechanism is presented to describe different importance of each attribute. We introduce a novel construction of ABE without executing any bilinear pairing computation. Compared to previous schemes, our scheme has a better performance in expressiveness of access policy and computational efficiency.

Word attributes and lateralization revisited: implications for dual coding and discrete versus continuous processing.

PubMed

Boles, D B

1989-01-01

Three attributes of words are their imageability, concreteness, and familiarity. From a literature review and several experiments, I previously concluded (Boles, 1983a) that only familiarity affects the overall near-threshold recognition of words, and that none of the attributes affects right-visual-field superiority for word recognition. Here these conclusions are modified by two experiments demonstrating a critical mediating influence of intentional versus incidental memory instructions. In Experiment 1, subjects were instructed to remember the words they were shown, for subsequent recall. The results showed effects of both imageability and familiarity on overall recognition, as well as an effect of imageability on lateralization. In Experiment 2, word-memory instructions were deleted and the results essentially reinstated the findings of Boles (1983a). It is concluded that right-hemisphere imagery processes can participate in word recognition under intentional memory instructions. Within the dual coding theory (Paivio, 1971), the results argue that both discrete and continuous processing modes are available, that the modes can be used strategically, and that continuous processing can occur prior to response stages.

Perceptions of adolescent bullying: attributions of blame and responsibility in cases of cyber-bullying.

PubMed

Morrow, Allison; Downey, Christina A

2013-12-01

Cyber-bullying (where victims are targeted via online social networking or other electronic means) has gained increased attention in research and the broadcast media, but previous research has not investigated attribution of blame in such cyber-bullying events. This experiment hypothesized that participants would assign higher ratings of blame to bullying perpetrators when the bullying situations were depicted as having highly foreseeable outcomes (vs. unforeseeable outcomes), and as occurring in school (vs. online). In addition, a significant interaction was predicted between outcome foreseeability and bullying situation, with highly foreseeable in-school events being rated as the most predictable and attributable to the bully's actions. One-hundred sixty-three participants completed surveys containing demographic items, items regarding their past experiences of victimization, and one of four randomly-assigned vignettes detailing a bullying situation (which participants rated). While hypotheses regarding outcome foreseeability were supported, no cyber-bullying vs. in-school main effects (or corresponding interaction effects) were detected. Implications for future research and practice, as well as study limitations, are discussed. © 2013 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

The Blind Child and His Parents: Congenital Visual Defect and the Repercussion of Family Attitudes on the Early Development of the Child.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lairy, G. C.; Harrison-Covello, A.

Discussed are the effects of parental attitudes on the early development of the congenitally blind child. The disproportion between family reactions and the limitations of the handicap are attributed to symbolic aspects of blindness and previously existing pathological elements in the parents. Compared are developmental milestones (such as the…

Decreased fat accumulation in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes treated with extracts of heat processed soy flour and breads

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The antiadipogenic effects of a gluten-free soy bread developed from soy flour pretreated by germination (GS), steaming (SS), or roasting (RS) were evaluated in an in vitro adipocyte cell model. Previously we had shown that soy bread prepared by GS, SS or RS flours had acceptable sensory attributes ...

The Effects of Natural Locomotion on Maneuvering Task Performance in Virtual and Real Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-09-01

respect to its intrinsic properties (constraints on movements, caloric energy expenditure , and so on). • The components of the control action...Motion attributes: direction, extend, timing - Effort and caloric energy expenditure 2. Interaction...halls, stairs , and concealed in furniture • Do not attempt to deactivate them; mark for later disarming by trained engineers • Use previous ly

Attributions for Long-Term Maintenance of Smoking Cessation or Relapse.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epstein, Jennifer A.; And Others

A previous study examined determinants of attributions for success or failure in stopping smoking in a self-help treatment program with and without a drug component. This follow-up study examined the attributions that successful quitters made after remaining abstinent through 12 months, or after they relapsed. Subjects (N=137) had been assigned to…

Validation of a Cognitive Diagnostic Model across Multiple Forms of a Reading Comprehension Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Amy K.

2013-01-01

The present study sought to fit a cognitive diagnostic model (CDM) across multiple forms of a passage-based reading comprehension assessment using the attribute hierarchy method. Previous research on CDMs for reading comprehension assessments served as a basis for the attributes in the hierarchy. The two attribute hierarchies were fit to data from…

When the happy victimizer says sorry: children's understanding of apology and emotion.

PubMed

Smith, Craig E; Chen, Diyu; Harris, Paul L

2010-11-01

Previous research suggests that children gradually understand the mitigating effects of apology on damage to a transgressor's reputation. However, little is known about young children's insights into the central emotional implications of apology. In two studies, children ages 4-9 heard stories about moral transgressions in which the wrongdoers either did or did not apologize. In Study 1, children in the no-apology condition showed the classic pattern of 'happy victimizer' attributions by expecting the wrongdoer to feel good about gains won via transgression. By contrast, in the apology condition, children attributed negative feelings to the transgressor and improved feelings to the victim. In Study 2, these effects were found even when the explicit emotion marker 'sorry' was removed from the apology exchange. Thus, young children understand some important emotional functions of apology.

The effect of texture granularity on texture synthesis quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golestaneh, S. Alireza; Subedar, Mahesh M.; Karam, Lina J.

2015-09-01

Natural and artificial textures occur frequently in images and in video sequences. Image/video coding systems based on texture synthesis can make use of a reliable texture synthesis quality assessment method in order to improve the compression performance in terms of perceived quality and bit-rate. Existing objective visual quality assessment methods do not perform satisfactorily when predicting the synthesized texture quality. In our previous work, we showed that texture regularity can be used as an attribute for estimating the quality of synthesized textures. In this paper, we study the effect of another texture attribute, namely texture granularity, on the quality of synthesized textures. For this purpose, subjective studies are conducted to assess the quality of synthesized textures with different levels (low, medium, high) of perceived texture granularity using different types of texture synthesis methods.

Automatic Ability Attribution after Failure: A Dual Process View of Achievement Attribution

PubMed Central

Sakaki, Michiko; Murayama, Kou

2013-01-01

Causal attribution has been one of the most influential frameworks in the literature of achievement motivation, but previous studies considered achievement attribution as relatively deliberate and effortful processes. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that people automatically attribute their achievement failure to their ability, but reduce the ability attribution in a controlled manner. To address this hypothesis, we measured participants’ causal attribution belief for their task failure either under the cognitive load (load condition) or with full attention (no-load condition). Across two studies, participants attributed task performance to their ability more in the load than in the no-load condition. The increased ability attribution under cognitive load further affected intrinsic motivation. These results indicate that cognitive resources available after feedback play crucial roles in determining causal attribution belief, as well as achievement motivations. PMID:23667576

Automatic ability attribution after failure: a dual process view of achievement attribution.

PubMed

Sakaki, Michiko; Murayama, Kou

2013-01-01

Causal attribution has been one of the most influential frameworks in the literature of achievement motivation, but previous studies considered achievement attribution as relatively deliberate and effortful processes. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that people automatically attribute their achievement failure to their ability, but reduce the ability attribution in a controlled manner. To address this hypothesis, we measured participants' causal attribution belief for their task failure either under the cognitive load (load condition) or with full attention (no-load condition). Across two studies, participants attributed task performance to their ability more in the load than in the no-load condition. The increased ability attribution under cognitive load further affected intrinsic motivation. These results indicate that cognitive resources available after feedback play crucial roles in determining causal attribution belief, as well as achievement motivations.

An Acceptance-Based Psychoeducation Intervention to Reduce Expressed Emotion in Relatives of Bipolar Patients

PubMed Central

Eisner, Lori R.; Johnson, Sheri L.

2010-01-01

Expressed emotion (EE) is a robust predictor of outcome in bipolar disorder. Despite decades of research, interventions to reduce EE levels have had only modest effects. This study used an expanded model of EE to develop an intervention. Research has demonstrated a strong link between attributions and EE in families of patients with psychiatric disorders. There is also substantial research to suggest that anger can drive blaming attributions. Combining these ideas, this study built on previous psychoeducation interventions through the addition of an acceptance component designed to decrease anger and blaming attributions among family members of those with bipolar disorder. Twenty-eight family members attended a 1-day or 2-evening multifamily group workshop and completed a follow-up assessment 1 week later. At follow-up, participants demonstrated more knowledge about bipolar disorder. Anger, blaming attributions, and number of criticisms remained unchanged. Results of this study are consistent with others in that it is difficult to change EE. Implications for future clinical research in this area are addressed. PMID:19027434

Comparison of Athletes’ Proneness to Depressive Symptoms in Individual and Team Sports: Research on Psychological Mediators in Junior Elite Athletes

PubMed Central

Nixdorf, Insa; Frank, Raphael; Beckmann, Jürgen

2016-01-01

Depression among elite athletes is a topic of increasing interest and public awareness. Currently, empirical data on elite athletes’ depressive symptoms are rare. Recent results indicate sport-related mechanisms and effects on depression prevalence in elite athlete samples; specific factors associated with depression include overtraining, injury, and failure in competition. One such effect is that athletes competing in individual sports were found to be more prone to depressive symptoms than athletes competing in team sports. The present study examined this effect by testing three possible, psychological mediators based on theoretical and empirical assumptions: namely, cohesion in team or training groups; perception of perfectionistic expectations from others; and negative attribution after failure. In a cross-sectional study, 199 German junior elite athletes (Mage = 14.96; SD = 1.56) participated and completed questionnaires on perfectionism, cohesion, attribution after failure, and depressive symptoms. Mediation analysis using path analysis with bootstrapping was used for data analysis. As expected, athletes in individual sports showed higher scores in depression than athletes in team sports [t(197) = 2.05; p < 0.05; d = 0.30]. Furthermore, negative attribution after failure was associated with individual sports (β = 0.27; p < 0.001), as well as with the dependent variable depression (β = 0.26; p < 0.01). Mediation hypothesis was supported by a significant indirect effect (β = 0.07; p < 0.05). Negative attribution after failure mediated the relationship between individual sports and depression scores. Neither cohesion nor perfectionism met essential criteria to serve as mediators: cohesion was not elevated in either team or individual sports, and perfectionism was positively related to team sports. The results support the assumption of previous findings on sport-specific mechanisms (here the effect between individual and team sports) contributing to depressive symptoms among elite athletes. Additionally, attribution after failure seems to play an important role in this regard and could be considered in further research and practitioners in the field of sport psychology. PMID:27378988

The relative impact of 13 chronic conditions across three different outcomes.

PubMed

Perruccio, Anthony V; Power, J Denise; Badley, Elizabeth M

2007-12-01

Previous estimates of individual and population attributable risks for adverse outcomes due to chronic conditions have considered only a limited number of conditions and outcomes, with some studies using inappropriate formulae or methods of estimation. This study re-examines the magnitude of individual and population attributable risks for a wide range of conditions and various health outcomes. Log-Poisson regression was used to calculate prevalence ratios as an indicator of individual risk and population-associated fractions of 13 chronic conditions, examining activity limitations, self-rated health and physician visits. The effect of multimorbidity on prevalence ratios was examined. Canada, 2000-01. Nationally representative sample of Canadians aged 12+ years (n _ 130 880). At the individual level, fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome and cancer, and to a lesser extent stroke and heart disease, were associated with an increased risk of both activity limitations and a self-rated health status of fair or poor; high blood pressure was associated with four or more physician visits in the previous 12 months. In contrast, population attributable fractions were substantial for arthritis/rheumatism, heart disease, back problems and high blood pressure across all outcomes. Adjustment for multimorbidity resulted in a marked decreases in prevalence ratios. Differences in the ranking of individual risks and population attributable fractions for different diseases and outcomes are substantial. This needs to be taken into account when setting priorities, as interventions may need to be targeted to different conditions depending on which aspects of health are being considered, and whether the focus is on individuals, such as in clinical care, or improving the health of the population.

Autism-relevant traits interact with temporoparietal junction stimulation effects on social cognition: a high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation and electroencephalography study.

PubMed

Donaldson, Peter H; Kirkovski, Melissa; Rinehart, Nicole J; Enticott, Peter G

2018-03-01

The temporoparietal junction (TPJ) is implicated in mental and emotional state attribution, processes associated with autism-relevant traits. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the TPJ can influence social-cognitive performance. However, associations with electrophysiology and autism-relevant traits remain relatively unexamined. This study had two aims: first, exploring links between Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores and social-cognitive performance; second, examining interactions between AQ scores and high-definition-tDCS (HD-tDCS) applied to the right TPJ in terms of mental/emotional state attribution and neurophysiological outcomes. Fifty-three participants completed mental/emotional state attribution tasks before and after HD-tDCS. Pre-stimulation mental state attribution accuracy was reduced in participants with higher AQ Switching scores. Cathodal stimulation was associated with reduced emotion attribution performance in participants with higher AQ Switching and AQ Social scores (the latter at trend-level). Anodal stimulation more frequently interacted with AQ Social scores in terms of neurophysiology, in particular regarding reduced delta power in the left compared to right TPJ, and trend-level positive interactions with P100 and P300 latencies during the emotion recognition task. Elements of attention/switching (AQ Switching) may subserve or underpin elements of social cognition (AQ Social), and cathodal and anodal stimulation may have differing effects depending on trait levels in these domains. This study makes an important and original contribution in terms of increasing understanding of how such trait-level variation might interact with the effects of tDCS and also extending previous studies with regard to understanding potential roles of the rTPJ in both attention and social cognition and how autism-relevant traits might influence TPJ function. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Soil sorption of organic vapors and effects of humidity on sorptive mechanism and capacity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chiou, C.T.; Shoup, T.D.

1985-01-01

Vapor sorption isotherms on dry Woodburn soil at 20-30??C were determined for benzene, chlorobenzene, p-dichlorobenzene, m-dichlorobenzene, 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, and water as single vapors and for benzene, m-dichlorobenzene, and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene as functions of relative humidity (RH). Isotherms for all compounds on dry soil samples are distinctively nonlinear, with water showing the greatest capacity. Water vapor sharply reduced the sorption capacities of organic compounds with the dry soil; on water-saturated soil, the reduction was about 2 orders of magnitude. The markedly higher sorption of organic vapors at subsaturation humidities is attributed to adsorption on the mineral matter, which predominates over the simultaneous uptake by partition into the organic matter. At about 90% RH, the sorption capacities of organic compounds become comparable to those in aqueous systems. The effect of humidity is attributed to adsorptive displacement by water of organics adsorbed on the mineral matter. A small residual uptake is attributed to the partition into the soil-organic phase that has been postulated in aqueous systems. The results are essentially in keeping with the model that was previously proposed for sorption on the soil from water and from organic solvents.Vapor sorption isotherms on dry Woodburn soil at 20-30 degree C were determined for benzene, chlorobenzene, p-dichlorobenzene, m-dichlorobenzene, 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, and water as single vapors and for benzene, m-dichlorobenzene, and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene as functions of relative humidity (RH). Isotherms for all compounds on dry soil samples are distinctively nonlinear, with water showing the greatest capacity. Water vapor sharply reduced the sorption capacities of organic compounds with the dry soil; on water-saturated soil, the reduction was about 2 orders of magnitude. The markedly higher sorption of organic vapors at subsaturation humidities is attributed to adsorption on the mineral matter. The results are essentially in keeping with the model that was previously proposed for sorption on the soil from water and from organic solvents.

Attributing Tropical Cyclogenesis to Equatorial Waves in the Western North Pacific

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schreck, Carl J., III; Molinari, John; Mohr, Karen I.

2009-01-01

The direct influences of equatorial waves on the genesis of tropical cyclones are evaluated. Tropical cyclogenesis is attributed to an equatorial wave when the filtered rainfall anomaly exceeds a threshold value at the genesis location. For an attribution threshold of 3 mm/day, 51% of warm season western North Pacific tropical cyclones are attributed to tropical depression (TD)-type disturbances, 29% to equatorial Rossby waves, 26% to mixed Rossby-Gravity waves, 23% to Kelvin waves, 13% to the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO), and 19% are not attributed to any equatorial wave. The fraction of tropical cyclones attributed to TD-type disturbances is consistent with previous findings. Past studies have also demonstrated that the MJO significantly modulates tropical cyclogenesis, but fewer storms are attributed to the MJO than any other wave type. This disparity arises from the difference between attribution and modulation. The MJO produces broad regions of favorable conditions for cyclogenesis, but the MJO alone might not determine when and where a storm will develop within these regions. Tropical cyclones contribute less than 17% of the power in any portion of the equatorial wave spectrum because tropical cyclones are relatively uncommon equatorward of 15deg latitude. In regions where they are active, however, tropical cyclones can contribute more than 20% of the warm season rainfall and up to 50% of the total variance. Tropical cyclone-related anomalies can significantly contaminate wave-filtered precipitation at the location of genesis. To mitigate this effect, the tropical cyclone-related rainfall anomalies were removed before filtering in this study.

Multiplicative mixing of object identity and image attributes in single inferior temporal neurons.

PubMed

Ratan Murty, N Apurva; Arun, S P

2018-04-03

Object recognition is challenging because the same object can produce vastly different images, mixing signals related to its identity with signals due to its image attributes, such as size, position, rotation, etc. Previous studies have shown that both signals are present in high-level visual areas, but precisely how they are combined has remained unclear. One possibility is that neurons might encode identity and attribute signals multiplicatively so that each can be efficiently decoded without interference from the other. Here, we show that, in high-level visual cortex, responses of single neurons can be explained better as a product rather than a sum of tuning for object identity and tuning for image attributes. This subtle effect in single neurons produced substantially better population decoding of object identity and image attributes in the neural population as a whole. This property was absent both in low-level vision models and in deep neural networks. It was also unique to invariances: when tested with two-part objects, neural responses were explained better as a sum than as a product of part tuning. Taken together, our results indicate that signals requiring separate decoding, such as object identity and image attributes, are combined multiplicatively in IT neurons, whereas signals that require integration (such as parts in an object) are combined additively. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Comparison of preferences of healthcare professionals and MS patients for attributes of disease-modifying drugs: A best-worst scaling.

PubMed

Kremer, Ingrid E H; Evers, Silvia M A A; Jongen, Peter J; Hiligsmann, Mickaël

2018-02-01

The choice between disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) becomes more often a shared decision between the patient and the neurologist and MS nurse. This study aimed to assess which DMD attributes are most important for the healthcare professionals in selecting a DMD for a patient. Subsequently, within this perspective, the neurologists' and nurses' perspectives were compared. Lastly, the healthcare professionals' perspective was compared with the patients' perspective to detect any differences that may need attention in the communication about DMDs. A best-worst scaling (BWS) was conducted among 27 neurologists and 33 MS nurses treating patients with MS to determine the importance of 27 DMD attributes. These attributes were identified through three focus groups with MS patients in a previous study (N=19). Relative importance scores (RISs) were estimated for each attribute. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to compare the different perspectives. According to the neurologists and nurses, safety of the DMD was the most important DMD attribute in the treatment decision, closely followed by effect on disability progression, quality of life and relapse rate. Patients with MS agreed with the importance of the last three attributes, but valued safety significantly lower (b=-2.59, P<.001). This study suggests that, overall, neurologists and nurses regard the same DMD attributes as important as MS patients with the notable exception of safety. This study provides valuable information for the development of interventions to support shared decision making and highlights which attributes of DMDs may need additional attention. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cumulative radiation exposure and cancer risk estimation in children with heart disease.

PubMed

Johnson, Jason N; Hornik, Christoph P; Li, Jennifer S; Benjamin, Daniel K; Yoshizumi, Terry T; Reiman, Robert E; Frush, Donald P; Hill, Kevin D

2014-07-08

Children with heart disease are frequently exposed to imaging examinations that use ionizing radiation. Although radiation exposure is potentially carcinogenic, there are limited data on cumulative exposure and the associated cancer risk. We evaluated the cumulative effective dose of radiation from all radiation examinations to estimate the lifetime attributable risk of cancer in children with heart disease. Children ≤6 years of age who had previously undergone 1 of 7 primary surgical procedures for heart disease at a single institution between 2005 and 2010 were eligible for the study. Exposure to radiation-producing examinations was tabulated, and cumulative effective dose was calculated in millisieverts. These data were used to estimate lifetime attributable risk of cancer above baseline using the approach of the Committee on Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation VII. The cohort included 337 children exposed to 13 932 radiation examinations. Conventional radiographs represented 92% of examinations, whereas cardiac catheterization and computed tomography accounted for 81% of cumulative exposure. Overall median cumulative effective dose was 2.7 mSv (range, 0.1-76.9 mSv), and the associated lifetime attributable risk of cancer was 0.07% (range, 0.001%-6.5%). Median lifetime attributable risk of cancer ranged widely depending on surgical complexity (0.006%-1.6% for the 7 surgical cohorts) and was twice as high in females per unit exposure (0.04% versus 0.02% per 1-mSv effective dose for females versus males, respectively; P<0.001). Overall radiation exposures in children with heart disease are relatively low; however, select cohorts receive significant exposure. Cancer risk estimation highlights the need to limit radiation dose, particularly for high-exposure modalities. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Adding small differences can increase similarity and choice.

PubMed

Kim, Jongmin; Novemsky, Nathan; Dhar, Ravi

2013-02-01

Similarity plays a critical role in many judgments and choices. Traditional models of similarity posit that increasing the number of differences between objects cannot increase judged similarity between them. In contrast to these previous models, the present research shows that introducing a small difference in an attribute that previously was identical across objects can increase perceived similarity between those objects. We propose an explanation based on the idea that small differences draw more attention than identical attributes do and that people's perceptions of similarity involve averaging attributes that are salient. We provide evidence that introducing small differences between objects increases perceived similarity. We also show that an increase in similarity decreases the difficulty of choice and the likelihood that a choice will be deferred.

Attributions and self-efficacy for physical activity in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Nickel, D; Spink, K; Andersen, M; Knox, K

2014-01-01

Self-efficacy is an important predictor of health-related physical activity in multiple sclerosis (MS). While past experiences are believed to influence efficacy beliefs, the explanations individuals provide for these experiences also may be critical. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that perceived success or failure to accumulate 150 min of physical activity in the previous week would moderate the relationship between the attributional dimension of stability and self-efficacy to exercise in the future. Forty-two adults with MS participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Participants completed questions assessing physical activity, perceived outcome for meeting the recommended level of endurance activity, attributions for the outcome, and exercise self-efficacy. Results from hierarchical multiple regression revealed a significant main effect for perceived outcome predicting self-efficacy that was qualified by a significant interaction. The final model, which included perceived outcome, stability, and the interaction term, predicted 37% of the variance in exercise self-efficacy, F (3, 38) = 7.27, p = .001. Our findings suggest that the best prediction of self-efficacy in the MS population may include the interaction of specific attributional dimensions with success/failure at meeting the recommended physical activity dose. Attributions may be another target for interventions aimed at increasing the physical activity in MS.

Informal Peer-Assisted Learning Groups Did Not Lead to Better Performance of Saudi Dental Students.

PubMed

AbdelSalam, Maha; El Tantawi, Maha; Al-Ansari, Asim; AlAgl, Adel; Al-Harbi, Fahad

2017-01-01

To describe peer-assisted learning (PAL) groups formed by dental undergraduate students in a biomedical course and to investigate the association of individual and group characteristics with academic performance. In 2015, 92 fourth-year students (43 males and 49 females) in the College of Dentistry, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, were invited to form PAL groups to study a unit of a biomedical course. An examination was used to assess their knowledge after 2 weeks. In addition, a questionnaire and social network analysis were used to investigate (1) individual student attributes: gender, role, subject matter knowledge, grade in previous year, teaming with friends, previous communication with teammates, and content discussion, and (2) group attributes: group teacher's previous grade, number of colleagues with whom a student connected, teaming with friends, similarity of teammates' previous grades, and teacher having higher previous grades than other teammates. Regression analysis was used to assess the association of examination scores with individual and group attributes. The response rate was 80.4% (74 students: 36 males and 38 females). Students who previously scored grades A and B had higher examination scores than students with grades C/less (regression coefficient = 18.50 and 13.39) within the groups. Higher scores were not associated with working in groups including friends only (regression coefficient = 1.17) or when all students had similar previous grades (regression coefficient = 0.85). Students with previous high grades benefited to a greater extent from working in PAL groups. Similarity of teammates in PAL groups was not associated with better scores. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

ExSTraCS 2.0: Description and Evaluation of a Scalable Learning Classifier System.

PubMed

Urbanowicz, Ryan J; Moore, Jason H

2015-09-01

Algorithmic scalability is a major concern for any machine learning strategy in this age of 'big data'. A large number of potentially predictive attributes is emblematic of problems in bioinformatics, genetic epidemiology, and many other fields. Previously, ExS-TraCS was introduced as an extended Michigan-style supervised learning classifier system that combined a set of powerful heuristics to successfully tackle the challenges of classification, prediction, and knowledge discovery in complex, noisy, and heterogeneous problem domains. While Michigan-style learning classifier systems are powerful and flexible learners, they are not considered to be particularly scalable. For the first time, this paper presents a complete description of the ExS-TraCS algorithm and introduces an effective strategy to dramatically improve learning classifier system scalability. ExSTraCS 2.0 addresses scalability with (1) a rule specificity limit, (2) new approaches to expert knowledge guided covering and mutation mechanisms, and (3) the implementation and utilization of the TuRF algorithm for improving the quality of expert knowledge discovery in larger datasets. Performance over a complex spectrum of simulated genetic datasets demonstrated that these new mechanisms dramatically improve nearly every performance metric on datasets with 20 attributes and made it possible for ExSTraCS to reliably scale up to perform on related 200 and 2000-attribute datasets. ExSTraCS 2.0 was also able to reliably solve the 6, 11, 20, 37, 70, and 135 multiplexer problems, and did so in similar or fewer learning iterations than previously reported, with smaller finite training sets, and without using building blocks discovered from simpler multiplexer problems. Furthermore, ExS-TraCS usability was made simpler through the elimination of previously critical run parameters.

A study and meta-analysis of lay attributions of cures for overcoming specific psychological problems.

PubMed

Furnham, A; Hayward, R

1997-09-01

Lay beliefs about the importance of 24 different contributors to overcoming 4 disorders that constitute primarily cognitive deficits were studied. A meta-analysis of previous programmatic studies in the area was performed so that 22 different psychological problems could be compared. In the present study, 107 participants completed a questionnaire indicating how effective 24 factors were in overcoming 4 specific problems: dyslexia, fear of flying, amnesia, and learning difficulties. Factor analysis revealed almost identical clusters (inner control, social consequences, understanding, receiving help, and fate) for each problem. The perceived relevance of those factors differed significantly between problems. Some individual difference factors (sex and religion) were found to predict certain factor attributions for specific disorders. A meta-analysis of the 5 studies in this series yielded a 6-factor structure comparable to those of the individual studies and provided results indicating the benefits and limitations of this kind of investigation. The clinical relevance of studying attributions for cure is considered.

Future-year ozone prediction for the United States using updated models and inputs.

PubMed

Collet, Susan; Kidokoro, Toru; Karamchandani, Prakash; Shah, Tejas; Jung, Jaegun

2017-08-01

The relationship between emission reductions and changes in ozone can be studied using photochemical grid models. These models are updated with new information as it becomes available. The primary objective of this study was to update the previous Collet et al. studies by using the most up-to-date (at the time the study was done) modeling emission tools, inventories, and meteorology available to conduct ozone source attribution and sensitivity studies. Results show future-year, 2030, design values for 8-hr ozone concentrations were lower than base-year values, 2011. The ozone source attribution results for selected cities showed that boundary conditions were the dominant contributors to ozone concentrations at the western U.S. locations, and were important for many of the eastern U.S. Point sources were generally more important in the eastern United States than in the western United States. The contributions of on-road mobile emissions were less than 5 ppb at a majority of the cities selected for analysis. The higher-order decoupled direct method (HDDM) results showed that in most of the locations selected for analysis, NOx emission reductions were more effective than VOC emission reductions in reducing ozone levels. The source attribution results from this study provide useful information on the important source categories and provide some initial guidance on future emission reduction strategies. The relationship between emission reductions and changes in ozone can be studied using photochemical grid models, which are updated with new available information. This study was to update the previous Collet et al. studies by using the most current, at the time the study was done, models and inventory to conduct ozone source attribution and sensitivity studies. The source attribution results from this study provide useful information on the important source categories and provide some initial guidance on future emission reduction strategies.

Macroeconomic Fluctuations and Mortality in Postwar Japan

PubMed Central

TAPIA GRANADOS, JOSÉ A.

2008-01-01

Recent research has shown that after long-term declining trends are excluded, mortality rates in industrial countries tend to rise in economic expansions and fall in economic recessions. In the present work, co-movements between economic fluctuations and mortality changes in postwar Japan are investigated by analyzing time series of mortality rates and eight economic indicators. To eliminate spurious associations attributable to trends, series are detrended either via Hodrick-Prescott filtering or through differencing. As previously found in other industrial economies, general mortality and age-specific death rates in Japan tend to increase in expansions and drop in recessions, for both males and females. The effect, which is slightly stronger for males, is particularly noticeable in those aged 45–64. Deaths attributed to heart disease, pneumonia, accidents, liver disease, and senility—making up about 41% of total mortality—tend to fluctuate procyclically, increasing in expansions. Suicides, as well as deaths attributable to diabetes and hypertensive disease, make up about 4% of total mortality and fluctuate countercyclically, increasing in recessions. Deaths attributed to other causes, making up about half of total deaths, don’t show a clearly defined relationship with the fluctuations of the economy. PMID:18613484

Macroeconomic fluctuations and mortality in postwar Japan.

PubMed

Granados, José A Tapia

2008-05-01

Recent research has shown that after long-term declining trends are excluded, mortality rates in industrial countries tend to rise in economic expansions and fall in economic recessions. In the present work, co-movements between economic fluctuations and mortality changes in postwar Japan are investigated by analyzing time series of mortality rates and eight economic indicators. To eliminate spurious associations attributable to trends, series are detrended either via Hodrick-Prescott filtering or through differencing. As previously found in other industrial economies, general mortality and age-specific death rates in Japan tend to increase in expansions and drop in recessions, for both males and females. The effect, which is slightly stronger for males, is particularly noticeable in those aged 45-64. Deaths attributed to heart disease, pneumonia, accidents, liver disease, and senility--making up about 41% of total mortality--tend to fluctuate procyclically, increasing in expansions. Suicides, as well as deaths attributable to diabetes and hypertensive disease, make up about 4% of total mortality and fluctuate countercyclically, increasing in recessions. Deaths attributed to other causes, making up about half of total deaths, don't show a clearly defined relationship with the fluctuations of the economy.

Income inequality and alcohol attributable harm in Australia.

PubMed

Dietze, Paul M; Jolley, Damien J; Chikritzhs, Tanya N; Clemens, Susan; Catalano, Paul; Stockwell, Tim

2009-02-25

There is little research on the relationship between key socioeconomic variables and alcohol related harms in Australia. The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between income inequality and the rates of alcohol-attributable hospitalisation and death at a local-area level in Australia. We conducted a cross sectional ecological analysis at a Local Government Area (LGA) level of associations between data on alcohol caused harms and income inequality data after adjusting for socioeconomic disadvantage and remoteness of LGAs.The main outcome measures used were matched rate ratios for four measures of alcohol caused harm; acute (primarily related to the short term consequences of drinking) and chronic (primarily related to the long term consequences of drinking) alcohol-attributable hospitalisation and acute and chronic alcohol-attributable death. Matching was undertaken using control conditions (non-alcohol-attributable) at an LGA level. A total of 885 alcohol-attributable deaths and 19467 alcohol-attributable hospitalisations across all LGAs were available for analysis. After weighting by the total number of cases in each LGA, the matched rate ratios of acute and chronic alcohol-attributable hospitalisation and chronic alcohol-attributable death were associated with the squared centred Gini coefficients of LGAs. This relationship was evident after adjusting for socioeconomic disadvantage and remoteness of LGAs. For both measures of hospitalisation the relationship was curvilinear; increases in income inequality were initially associated with declining rates of hospitalisation followed by large increases as the Gini coefficient increased beyond 0.15. The pattern for chronic alcohol-attributable death was similar, but without the initial decrease. There was no association between income inequality and acute alcohol-attributable death, probably due to the relatively small number of these types of death. We found a curvilinear relationship between income inequality and the rates of some types of alcohol-attributable hospitalisation and death at a local area level in Australia. While alcohol-attributable harms generally increased with increasing income inequality, alcohol-attributable hospitalisations actually showed the reverse relationship at low levels of income inequality. The curvilinear patterns we observed are inconsistent with monotonic trends found in previous research making our findings incompatible with previous explanations of the relationship between income inequality and health related harms.

Game relativity: how context influences strategic decision making.

PubMed

Vlaev, Ivo; Chater, Nick

2006-01-01

Existing models of strategic decision making typically assume that only the attributes of the currently played game need be considered when reaching a decision. The results presented in this article demonstrate that the so-called "co-operativeness" of the previously played prisoner's dilemma games influence choices and predictions in the current prisoner's dilemma game, which suggests that games are not considered independently. These effects involved reinforcement-based assimilation to the previous choices and also a perceptual contrast of the present game with preceding games, depending on the range and the rank of their co-operativeness. A. Parducci's (1965) range frequency theory and H. Helson's (1964) adaptation level theory are plausible theories of relative judgment of magnitude information, which could provide an account of these context effects. ((c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

Ground Effect - Theory and Practice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pistolesi, E

1937-01-01

The conclusion of a previous article by Pistolesi is that the increment of lift due to ground effect is largely attributable to the effect of induction of the free vortices, and is practically equivalent to a virtual increase in aspect ratio. The ground clearance was of the order of magnitude comparable to the wing chord. New reports by Le Seur and Datwyler treat the case of minimum distance from the ground and is confined to the plane problem only. The author briefly reviews these reports and also one by Timotika. References to all the reviewed reports are in the attached bibliography.

Effects of optical attenuation, heat diffusion, and acoustic coherence in photoacoustic signals produced by nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alba-Rosales, J. E.; Ramos-Ortiz, G.; Escamilla-Herrera, L. F.; Reyes-Ramírez, B.; Polo-Parada, L.; Gutiérrez-Juárez, G.

2018-04-01

The behavior of the photoacoustic signal produced by nanoparticles as a function of their concentration was studied in detail. As the concentration of nanoparticles is increased in a sample, the peak-to-peak photoacoustic amplitude increases linearly up to a certain value, after which an asymptotic saturated behavior is observed. To elucidate the mechanisms responsible for these observations, we evaluate the effects of nanoparticles concentration, the optical attenuation, and the effects of heat propagation from nano-sources to their surroundings. We found that the saturation effect of the photoacoustic signal as a function of the concentration of nanoparticles is explained by a combination of two different mechanisms. As has been suggested previously, but not modeled correctly, the most important mechanism is attributed to optical attenuation. The second mechanism is due to an interference destructive process attributed to the superimposition of the photoacoustic amplitudes generated for each nanoparticle, and this explanation is reinforced through our experimental and simulations results; based on this, it is found that the linear behavior of the photoacoustic amplitude could be restricted to optical densities ≤0.5.

Serial dependence in the perception of attractiveness.

PubMed

Xia, Ye; Leib, Allison Yamanashi; Whitney, David

2016-12-01

The perception of attractiveness is essential for choices of food, object, and mate preference. Like perception of other visual features, perception of attractiveness is stable despite constant changes of image properties due to factors like occlusion, visual noise, and eye movements. Recent results demonstrate that perception of low-level stimulus features and even more complex attributes like human identity are biased towards recent percepts. This effect is often called serial dependence. Some recent studies have suggested that serial dependence also exists for perceived facial attractiveness, though there is also concern that the reported effects are due to response bias. Here we used an attractiveness-rating task to test the existence of serial dependence in perceived facial attractiveness. Our results demonstrate that perceived face attractiveness was pulled by the attractiveness level of facial images encountered up to 6 s prior. This effect was not due to response bias and did not rely on the previous motor response. This perceptual pull increased as the difference in attractiveness between previous and current stimuli increased. Our results reconcile previously conflicting findings and extend previous work, demonstrating that sequential dependence in perception operates across different levels of visual analysis, even at the highest levels of perceptual interpretation.

Quantifying Impacts of Urban Growth Potential on Army Training Capabilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-12

Capacity” ERDC/CERL TR-17-34 ii Abstract Building on previous studies of urban growth and population effects on U.S. military installations and...combat team studies . CAA has developed an iterative process that builds on Military Value Anal- ysis (MVA) models that include a set of attributes that...Methods and tools were developed to support a nationwide analysis. This study focused on installations operating training areas that were high

Effect of reactor loading on atomic oxygen concentration as measured by NO chemiluminescence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lerner, N. R.

1989-01-01

It has previously been observed that the etch rate of polyethylene samples in the afterglow of an RF discharge in oxygen increases with reactor loading. This enhancement of the etch rate is attributed to reactive gas phase products of the polymer etching. In the present work, emission spectroscopy is employed to examine the species present in the gas phase during etching of polyethylene. In particular, the concentration of atomic oxygen downstream from the polyethylene samples is studied as a function of the reactor loading. It is found that the concentration of atomic oxygen increases as the reactor loading is increased. The increase of etch rate with increased reactor loading is attributed to the increase of atomic oxygen concentration in the vicinity of the sample.

Annular modes and apparent eddy feedbacks in the Southern Hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, Nicholas J.; Shepherd, Theodore G.; Woollings, Tim; Plumb, R. Alan

2016-04-01

Lagged correlation analysis is often used to infer intraseasonal dynamical effects but is known to be affected by nonstationarity. We highlight a pronounced quasi 2 year peak in the anomalous zonal wind and eddy momentum flux convergence power spectra in the Southern Hemisphere, which is prima facie evidence for nonstationarity. We then investigate the consequences of this nonstationarity for the Southern Annular Mode and for eddy momentum flux convergence. We argue that positive lagged correlations previously attributed to the existence of an eddy feedback are more plausibly attributed to nonstationary interannual variability external to any potential feedback process in the midlatitude troposphere. The findings have implications for the diagnosis of feedbacks in both models and reanalysis data as well as for understanding the mechanisms underlying variations in the zonal wind.

Annular modes and apparent eddy feedbacks in the Southern Hemisphere.

PubMed

Byrne, Nicholas J; Shepherd, Theodore G; Woollings, Tim; Plumb, R Alan

2016-04-28

Lagged correlation analysis is often used to infer intraseasonal dynamical effects but is known to be affected by nonstationarity. We highlight a pronounced quasi 2 year peak in the anomalous zonal wind and eddy momentum flux convergence power spectra in the Southern Hemisphere, which is prima facie evidence for nonstationarity. We then investigate the consequences of this nonstationarity for the Southern Annular Mode and for eddy momentum flux convergence. We argue that positive lagged correlations previously attributed to the existence of an eddy feedback are more plausibly attributed to nonstationary interannual variability external to any potential feedback process in the midlatitude troposphere. The findings have implications for the diagnosis of feedbacks in both models and reanalysis data as well as for understanding the mechanisms underlying variations in the zonal wind.

Variance in Math Achievement Attributable to Visual Cognitive Constructs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oehlert, Jeremy J.

2012-01-01

Previous research has reported positive correlations between math achievement and the cognitive constructs of spatial visualization, working memory, and general intelligence; however, no single study has assessed variance in math achievement attributable to all three constructs, examined in combination. The current study fills this gap in the…

Using Virtual Reality with and without Gaming Attributes for Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogel, Jennifer J.; Greenwood-Ericksen, Adams; Cannon-Bowers, Jan; Bowers, Clint A.

2006-01-01

A subcategory of computer-assisted instruction (CAI), games have additional attributes such as motivation, reward, interactivity, score, and challenge. This study used a quasi-experimental design to determine if previous findings generalize to non simulation-based game designs. Researchers observed significant improvement in the overall population…

Authorship attribution of source code by using back propagation neural network based on particle swarm optimization

PubMed Central

Xu, Guoai; Li, Qi; Guo, Yanhui; Zhang, Miao

2017-01-01

Authorship attribution is to identify the most likely author of a given sample among a set of candidate known authors. It can be not only applied to discover the original author of plain text, such as novels, blogs, emails, posts etc., but also used to identify source code programmers. Authorship attribution of source code is required in diverse applications, ranging from malicious code tracking to solving authorship dispute or software plagiarism detection. This paper aims to propose a new method to identify the programmer of Java source code samples with a higher accuracy. To this end, it first introduces back propagation (BP) neural network based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) into authorship attribution of source code. It begins by computing a set of defined feature metrics, including lexical and layout metrics, structure and syntax metrics, totally 19 dimensions. Then these metrics are input to neural network for supervised learning, the weights of which are output by PSO and BP hybrid algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated on a collected dataset with 3,022 Java files belong to 40 authors. Experiment results show that the proposed method achieves 91.060% accuracy. And a comparison with previous work on authorship attribution of source code for Java language illustrates that this proposed method outperforms others overall, also with an acceptable overhead. PMID:29095934

Variation across Canada in the economic burden attributable to excess weight, tobacco smoking and physical inactivity.

PubMed

Krueger, Hans; Krueger, Joshua; Koot, Jacqueline

2015-04-30

Tobacco smoking, excess weight and physical inactivity contribute substantially to the preventable disease burden in Canada. The purpose of this paper is to determine the potential reduction in economic burden if all provinces achieved prevalence rates of these three risk factors (RFs) equivalent to those of the province with the lowest rates, and to update and address a limitation noted in our previous model. We used a previously developed approach based on population attributable fractions to estimate the economic burden associated with these RFs. Sex-specific relative risk and age-/sex-specific prevalence data were used in the modelling. The previous model was updated using the most current data for developing resource allocation weights. In 2012, the prevalence of tobacco smoking, excess weight and physical inactivity was the lowest in British Columbia. If age- and sex-specific prevalence rates from BC were applied to populations living in the other provinces, the annual economic burden attributable to these three RFs would be reduced by $5.3 billion. Updating the model resulted in a considerable shift in economic burden from smoking to excess weight, with the estimated annual economic burden attributable to excess weight now 25% higher compared to that of tobacco smoking ($23.3 vs. $18.7 billion). Achieving RF prevalence rates equivalent to those of the province with the lowest rates would result in a 10% reduction in economic burden attributable to excess weight, smoking and physical inactivity in Canada. This study shows that using current resource use data is important for this type of economic modelling.

Revisiting the relationship between attributional style and academic performance

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Abstract Previous research into the relationship between attributions and academic performance has produced contradictory findings that have not been resolved. The present research examines the role of specific dimensions of attributional style in predicting subsequent academic performance in a sample of pupils (N = 979) from both high‐ and low‐achieving schools. Hierarchical regression and moderation analyses indicate that internal, stable, and global, attributional styles for positive events predict higher levels of academic performance. Global attributions for negative events were related to poorer performance across all schools. Stable attributions for negative events were related to higher levels of performance in high‐achieving schools but not in low‐achieving schools. Higher levels of internality for negative events were associated with higher performance only in low achieving schools. PMID:27594711

Effects and Clinical Significance of GII.4 Sydney Norovirus, United States, 2012–2013

PubMed Central

Wikswo, Mary; Barclay, Leslie; Brandt, Eric; Storm, William; Salehi, Ellen; DeSalvo, Traci; Davis, Tim; Saupe, Amy; Dobbins, Ginette; Booth, Hillary A.; Biggs, Christianne; Garman, Katie; Woron, Amy M.; Parashar, Umesh D.; Vinjé, Jan; Hall, Aron J.

2013-01-01

During 2012, global detection of a new norovirus (NoV) strain, GII.4 Sydney, raised concerns about its potential effect in the United States. We analyzed data from NoV outbreaks in 5 states and emergency department visits for gastrointestinal illness in 1 state during the 2012–13 season and compared the data with those of previous seasons. During August 2012–April 2013, a total of 637 NoV outbreaks were reported compared with 536 and 432 in 2011–2012 and 2010–2011 during the same period. The proportion of outbreaks attributed to GII.4 Sydney increased from 8% in September 2012 to 82% in March 2013. The increase in emergency department visits for gastrointestinal illness during the 2012–13 season was similar to that of previous seasons. GII.4 Sydney has become the predominant US NoV outbreak strain during the 2012–13 season, but its emergence did not cause outbreak activity to substantially increase from that of previous seasons. PMID:23886013

Over-reassurance and undersupport after a 'false alarm': a systematic review of the impact on subsequent cancer symptom attribution and help seeking.

PubMed

Renzi, Cristina; Whitaker, Katriina L; Wardle, Jane

2015-02-04

This literature review examined research into the impact of a previous 'all-clear' or non-cancer diagnosis following symptomatic presentation ('false alarm') on symptom attribution and delays in help seeking for subsequent possible cancer symptoms. The comprehensive literature review included original research based on quantitative, qualitative and mixed data collection methods. We used a combination of search strategies, including in-depth searches of electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsychInfo), searching key authors and articles listed as 'related' in PubMed, and reference lists. We performed a narrative synthesis of key themes shared across studies. The review included studies published after 1990 and before February 2014 reporting information on adult patients having experienced a false alarm following symptomatic presentation. We excluded false alarms in the context of screening. We evaluated the effect of a 'false alarm' on symptom attribution and help seeking for new or recurrent possible cancer symptoms. Overall, 1442 papers were screened and 121 retrieved for full-text evaluation. Among them, 19 reported on false alarms and subsequent symptom attribution or help seeking. They used qualitative (n=14), quantitative (n=3) and mixed methods (n=2). Breast (n=7), gynaecological (n=3), colorectal (n=2), testicular (n=2), and head and neck cancers (n=2) were the most studied. Two broad themes emerged underlying delays in help seeking: (1) over-reassurance from the previous 'all-clear' diagnosis leading to subsequent symptoms being interpreted as benign, and (2) unsupportive healthcare experiences in which symptoms were dismissed, leaving patients concerned about appearing hypochondriacal or uncertain about the appropriate next actions. The evidence suggested that the effect of a false alarm can persist for months and even years. In conclusion, over-reassurance and undersupport of patients after a false alarm can undermine help seeking in the case of new or recurrent potential cancer symptoms, highlighting the need for appropriate patient information when investigations rule out cancer. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

26 CFR 1.111-1 - Recovery of certain items previously deducted or credited.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Recovery of certain items previously deducted or....111-1 Recovery of certain items previously deducted or credited. (a) General. Section 111 provides that income attributable to the recovery during any taxable year of bad debts, prior taxes, and...

26 CFR 1.111-1 - Recovery of certain items previously deducted or credited.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Recovery of certain items previously deducted or....111-1 Recovery of certain items previously deducted or credited. (a) General. Section 111 provides that income attributable to the recovery during any taxable year of bad debts, prior taxes, and...

26 CFR 1.111-1 - Recovery of certain items previously deducted or credited.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Recovery of certain items previously deducted or....111-1 Recovery of certain items previously deducted or credited. (a) General. Section 111 provides that income attributable to the recovery during any taxable year of bad debts, prior taxes, and...

26 CFR 1.111-1 - Recovery of certain items previously deducted or credited.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Recovery of certain items previously deducted or....111-1 Recovery of certain items previously deducted or credited. (a) General. Section 111 provides that income attributable to the recovery during any taxable year of bad debts, prior taxes, and...

Women's and Men's Marriages: Marital Satisfaction, Perceived Control, and Attitudes toward Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madden, Margaret E.

Previous research on marriage indicates that perceptions of control are important to marital satisfaction. To investigate the relationship between attributions of personal control and other variables in marriage, e.g., measures of satisfaction, decision making, and task performance, and attributions of control over decisions and tasks, and to…

Moral Reasoning and Emotion Attributions of Adolescent Bullies, Victims, and Bully-Victims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perren, Sonja; Gutzwiller-Helfenfinger, Eveline; Malti, Tina; Hymel, Shelley

2012-01-01

This study investigated different facets of moral development in bullies, victims, and bully-victims among Swiss adolescents. Extending previous research, we focused on both bullying and victimization in relation to adolescents' morally disengaged and morally responsible reasoning as well as moral emotion attributions. A total of 516 adolescents…

Do Street Robbery Location Choices Vary Over Time of Day or Day of Week? A Test in Chicago

PubMed Central

Ruiter, Stijn; Block, Richard

2016-01-01

Objectives: This article examines the hypothesis that in street robbery location choices, the importance of location attributes is conditional on the time of day and on the day of the week. Method: The hypothesis is assessed by estimating and comparing separate discrete location choice models for each two-hour time block of the day and for each day of the week. The spatial units of analysis are census blocks. Their relevant attributes include presence of various legal and illegal cash economies, presence of high schools, measures of accessibility, and distance from the offender’s home. Results: The hypothesis is strongly rejected because for almost all census block attributes, their importance hardly depends on time of day or day of week. Only the effect of high schools in census blocks follows expectations, as its effect is only demonstrated at the times and on the days that schools are open. Conclusions: The results suggest that street robbers’ location choices are not as strongly driven by spatial variations in immediate opportunities as has been suggested in previous studies. Rather, street robbers seem to perpetrate in the environs of cash economies and transit hubs most of the time irrespective of how many potential victims are around. PMID:28232756

Assessing Risks to Sea Otters and the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: New Scenarios, Attributable Risk, and Recovery

PubMed Central

Harwell, Mark A.; Gentile, John H.

2014-01-01

The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred more than two decades ago, and the Prince William Sound ecosystem has essentially recovered. Nevertheless, discussion continues on whether or not localized effects persist on sea otters (Enhydra lutris) at northern Knight Island (NKI) and, if so, what are the associated attributable risks. A recent study estimated new rates of sea otter encounters with subsurface oil residues (SSOR) from the oil spill. We previously demonstrated that a potential pathway existed for exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and conducted a quantitative ecological risk assessment using an individual-based model that simulated this and other plausible exposure pathways. Here we quantitatively update the potential for this exposure pathway to constitute an ongoing risk to sea otters using the new estimates of SSOR encounters. Our conservative model predicted that the assimilated doses of PAHs to the 1-in-1000th most-exposed sea otters would remain 1–2 orders of magnitude below the chronic effects thresholds. We re-examine the baseline estimates, post-spill surveys, recovery status, and attributable risks for this subpopulation. We conclude that the new estimated frequencies of encountering SSOR do not constitute a plausible risk for sea otters at NKI and these sea otters have fully recovered from the oil spill. PMID:24587690

Classroom management of situated group learning: A research study of two teaching strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smeh, Kathy; Fawns, Rod

2000-06-01

Although peer-based work is encouraged by theories in developmental psychology and although classroom interventions suggest it is effective, there are grounds for recognising that young pupils find collaborative learning hard to sustain. Discontinuities in collaborative skill during development have been suggested as one interpretation. Theory and research have neglected situational continuities that the teacher may provide in management of formal and informal collaborations. This experimental study, with the collaboration of the science faculty in one urban secondary college, investigated the effect of two role attribution strategies on communication in peer groups of different gender composition in three parallel Year 8 science classes. The group were set a problem that required them to design an experiment to compare the thermal insulating properties of two different materials. This presents the data collected and key findings, and reviews the findings from previous parallel studies that have employed the same research design in different school settings. The results confirm the effectiveness of social role attribution strategies in teacher management of communication in peer-based work.

Effect of workplace incivility on end-of-work negative affect: examining individual and organizational moderators in a daily diary study.

PubMed

Zhou, Zhiqing E; Yan, Yu; Che, Xin Xuan; Meier, Laurenz L

2015-01-01

Although previous studies have linked workplace incivility with various negative outcomes, they mainly focused on the long-term effects of chronic exposure to workplace incivility, whereas targets' short-term reactions to incivility episodes have been largely neglected. Using a daily diary design, the current study examined effects of daily workplace incivility on end-of-work negative affect and explored potential individual and organizational moderators. Data collected from 76 full-time employees across 10 consecutive working days revealed that daily workplace incivility positively predicted end-of-work negative affect while controlling for before-work negative affect. Further, the relationship was stronger for people with low emotional stability, high hostile attribution bias, external locus of control, and people experiencing low chronic workload and more chronic organizational constraints, as compared with people with high emotional stability, low hostile attribution bias, internal locus of control, and people experiencing high chronic workload and fewer chronic organizational constraints, respectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved). PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

What matters when judging intentionality-moral content or normative status? Testing the rational scientist model of the side-effect.

PubMed

Papadopoulos, C; Hayes, B K

2018-06-01

Previous work has demonstrated a "side-effect effect," such that intentionality is more likely to be attributed to agents who bring about negatively valenced as opposed to positively valenced side effects. The rational-scientist model explains this by suggesting that norm-violating side effects are more informative for inferring intentionality than norm-conforming side effects. In the present study we reexamined this account, addressing limitations of previous empirical tests (e.g., Uttich & Lombrozo, Cognition 116: 87-100, 2010). Side-effect valence and norm status were manipulated factorially, enabling an examination of the impact of norm status on intentionality judgments in both positively and negatively valenced side effects. Additionally, the impact of side-effect norm status on the perceived valences of side effects and agents was examined. Effects of norm status were found for both positive and negative side effects. Violation of an ostensibly neutral norm led to negative perceptions of the side effect. However, a norm status effect on intentionality judgments persisted when these effects were controlled. These results support the view that the side-effect effect is the result of the rational use of social-cognitive evidence.

Improving the Accuracy of Attribute Extraction using the Relatedness between Attribute Values

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bollegala, Danushka; Tani, Naoki; Ishizuka, Mitsuru

Extracting attribute-values related to entities from web texts is an important step in numerous web related tasks such as information retrieval, information extraction, and entity disambiguation (namesake disambiguation). For example, for a search query that contains a personal name, we can not only return documents that contain that personal name, but if we have attribute-values such as the organization for which that person works, we can also suggest documents that contain information related to that organization, thereby improving the user's search experience. Despite numerous potential applications of attribute extraction, it remains a challenging task due to the inherent noise in web data -- often a single web page contains multiple entities and attributes. We propose a graph-based approach to select the correct attribute-values from a set of candidate attribute-values extracted for a particular entity. First, we build an undirected weighted graph in which, attribute-values are represented by nodes, and the edge that connects two nodes in the graph represents the degree of relatedness between the corresponding attribute-values. Next, we find the maximum spanning tree of this graph that connects exactly one attribute-value for each attribute-type. The proposed method outperforms previously proposed attribute extraction methods on a dataset that contains 5000 web pages.

Shear wave prediction using committee fuzzy model constrained by lithofacies, Zagros basin, SW Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiroodi, Sadjad Kazem; Ghafoori, Mohammad; Ansari, Hamid Reza; Lashkaripour, Golamreza; Ghanadian, Mostafa

2017-02-01

The main purpose of this study is to introduce the geological controlling factors in improving an intelligence-based model to estimate shear wave velocity from seismic attributes. The proposed method includes three main steps in the framework of geological events in a complex sedimentary succession located in the Persian Gulf. First, the best attributes were selected from extracted seismic data. Second, these attributes were transformed into shear wave velocity using fuzzy inference systems (FIS) such as Sugeno's fuzzy inference (SFIS), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference (ANFIS) and optimized fuzzy inference (OFIS). Finally, a committee fuzzy machine (CFM) based on bat-inspired algorithm (BA) optimization was applied to combine previous predictions into an enhanced solution. In order to show the geological effect on improving the prediction, the main classes of predominate lithofacies in the reservoir of interest including shale, sand, and carbonate were selected and then the proposed algorithm was performed with and without lithofacies constraint. The results showed a good agreement between real and predicted shear wave velocity in the lithofacies-based model compared to the model without lithofacies especially in sand and carbonate.

Preference Reversals in Decision Making Under Risk are Accompanied by Changes in Attention to Different Attributes.

PubMed

Kim, Betty E; Seligman, Darryl; Kable, Joseph W

2012-01-01

Recent work has shown that visual fixations reflect and influence trial-to-trial variability in people's preferences between goods. Here we extend this principle to attribute weights during decision making under risk. We measured eye movements while people chose between two risky gambles or bid on a single gamble. Consistent with previous work, we found that people exhibited systematic preference reversals between choices and bids. For two gambles matched in expected value, people systematically chose the higher probability option but provided a higher bid for the option that offered the greater amount to win. This effect was accompanied by a shift in fixations of the two attributes, with people fixating on probabilities more during choices and on amounts more during bids. Our results suggest that the construction of value during decision making under risk depends on task context partly because the task differentially directs attention at probabilities vs. amounts. Since recent work demonstrates that neural correlates of value vary with visual fixations, our results also suggest testable hypotheses regarding how task context modulates the neural computation of value to generate preference reversals.

Rice Grain Quality and Consumer Preferences: A Case Study of Two Rural Towns in the Philippines

PubMed Central

Velarde, Orlee; Demont, Matty

2016-01-01

Hedonic pricing analysis is conducted to determine the implicit values of various attributes in the market value of a good. In this study, hedonic pricing analysis was applied to measure the contribution of grain quality search and experience attributes to the price of rice in two rural towns in the Philippines. Rice samples from respondents underwent quantitative routine assessments of grain quality. In particular, gelatinization temperature and chalkiness, two parameters that are normally assessed through visual scores, were evaluated by purely quantitative means (differential scanning calorimetry and by digital image analysis). Results indicate that rice consumed by respondents had mainly similar physical and chemical grain quality attributes. The respondents’ revealed preferences were typical of what has been previously reported for Filipino rice consumers. Hedonic regression analyses showed that grain quality characteristics that affected price varied by income class. Some of the traits or socioeconomic factors that affected price were percent broken grains, gel consistency, and household per capita rice consumption. There is an income effect on rice price and the characteristics that affect price vary between income classes. PMID:26982587

Rice Grain Quality and Consumer Preferences: A Case Study of Two Rural Towns in the Philippines.

PubMed

Cuevas, Rosa Paula; Pede, Valerien O; McKinley, Justin; Velarde, Orlee; Demont, Matty

2016-01-01

Hedonic pricing analysis is conducted to determine the implicit values of various attributes in the market value of a good. In this study, hedonic pricing analysis was applied to measure the contribution of grain quality search and experience attributes to the price of rice in two rural towns in the Philippines. Rice samples from respondents underwent quantitative routine assessments of grain quality. In particular, gelatinization temperature and chalkiness, two parameters that are normally assessed through visual scores, were evaluated by purely quantitative means (differential scanning calorimetry and by digital image analysis). Results indicate that rice consumed by respondents had mainly similar physical and chemical grain quality attributes. The respondents' revealed preferences were typical of what has been previously reported for Filipino rice consumers. Hedonic regression analyses showed that grain quality characteristics that affected price varied by income class. Some of the traits or socioeconomic factors that affected price were percent broken grains, gel consistency, and household per capita rice consumption. There is an income effect on rice price and the characteristics that affect price vary between income classes.

Attribution of the French human Salmonellosis cases to the main food-sources according to the type of surveillance data.

PubMed

David, J M; Sanders, P; Bemrah, N; Granier, S A; Denis, M; Weill, F-X; Guillemot, D; Watier, L

2013-05-15

Salmonella are the most common bacterial cause of foodborne infections in France and ubiquitous pathogens present in many animal productions. Assessing the relative contribution of the different food-animal sources to the burden of human cases is a key step towards the conception, prioritization and assessment of efficient control policy measures. For this purpose, we considered a Bayesian microbial subtyping attribution approach based on a previous published model (Hald et al., 2004). It requires quality integrated data on human cases and on the contamination of their food sources, per serotype and microbial subtype, which were retrieved from the French integrated surveillance system for Salmonella. The quality of the data available for such an approach is an issue for many countries in which the surveillance system has not been designed for this purpose. In France, the sources are monitored simultaneously by an active, regulation-based surveillance system that produces representative prevalence data (as ideally required for the approach) and a passive system relying on voluntary laboratories that produces data not meeting the standards set by Hald et al. (2004) but covering a broader range of sources. These data allowed us to study the impact of data quality on the attribution results, globally and focusing on specific features of the data (number of sources and contamination indicator). The microbial subtyping attribution model was run using an adapted parameterization previously proposed (David et al., 2012). A total of 9076 domestic sporadic cases were included in the analyses as well as 9 sources among which 5 were common to the active and the passive datasets. The greatest impact on the attribution results was observed for the number of sources. Thus, especially in the absence of data on imported products, the attribution estimates presented here should be considered with caution. The results were comparable for both types of surveillance, leading to the conclusion that passive data constitute a potential cost-effective complement to active data collection, especially interesting because the former encompass a greater number of sources. The model appeared robust to the type of surveillance, and provided that some methodological aspects of the model can be enhanced, it could also serve as a risk-based guidance tool for active surveillance systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Causal Attribution: A New Scale Developed to Minimize Existing Methodological Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Kay Sather; Feuquay, Jeffrey P.

In order to facilitate research on the construct of causal attribution, this paper details developmental procedures used to minimize previous deficiencies and proposes a new scale. The first version of the scale was in ipsative form and provided two basic sets of indices: (1) ability, effort, luck, and task difficulty indices in success and…

How consumers choose health insurance.

PubMed

Chakraborty, G; Ettenson, R; Gaeth, G

1994-01-01

The authors used choice-based conjoint analysis to model consumers' decision processes when evaluating and selecting health insurance in a multiplan environment. Results indicate that consumer choice is affected by as many as 19 attributes, some of which have received little attention in previous studies. Moreover, the importance of the attributes varies across different demographic segments, giving marketers several targeting opportunities.

College Students' Perceived Attributes of Internet Websites and Online Shopping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seock, Yoo-Kyoung; Norton, Marjorie J. T.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of attributes of clothing retailers' Internet websites in relation to previous and intended future purchase from the websites. Survey data from 414 U.S. college students, non-married and aged 18-22 with online clothing shopping experience and favorite clothing websites were used. Five clothing…

Modeling relationships between landscape-level attributes and snorkel counts of chinook salmon and steelhead parr in Idaho

Treesearch

William L. Thompson; Danny C. Lee

2000-01-01

Knowledge of environmental factors impacting anadromous salmonids in their freshwater habitats, particularly at large spatial scales, may be important for restoring them to previously recorded levels in the northwestern United States. Consequently, we used existing data sets and an information-theoretic approach to model landscape-level attributes and snorkel count...

The animacy advantage for free-recall performance is not attributable to greater mental arousal.

PubMed

Popp, Earl Y; Serra, Michael J

2018-01-01

People often demonstrate better memory for animate concepts (e.g., lion and sailor) than for inanimate concepts (e.g., hammer and mountain). Researchers have attributed this effect to an adaptive memory mechanism that favours information relevant for survival, including information about living things. In the present experiment, we examined the hypothesis that people demonstrate better free-recall performance for animate than inanimate words because animate words tend to be associated with greater mental arousal than inanimate words, a factor that was not controlled for in previous experiments on this topic. To this end, we matched animate and inanimate word lists on mental arousal (and several other factors), and compared participants' free-recall performance for the two word types. We were able to replicate past findings that participants' free-recall of animate words exceeds their free-recall of inanimate words, but we found no support for the possibility that the effect stems from differences in mental arousal between animate and inanimate concepts, as this effect maintained even when the word lists were matched on mental arousal. The present results therefore indicate that mental arousal cannot explain the effects of animacy on free-recall performance.

Is the Theory of Mind deficit observed in visual paradigms in schizophrenia explained by an impaired attention toward gaze orientation?

PubMed

Roux, Paul; Forgeot d'Arc, Baudoin; Passerieux, Christine; Ramus, Franck

2014-08-01

Schizophrenia is associated with poor Theory of Mind (ToM), particularly in goal and belief attribution to others. It is also associated with abnormal gaze behaviors toward others: individuals with schizophrenia usually look less to others' face and gaze, which are crucial epistemic cues that contribute to correct mental states inferences. This study tests the hypothesis that impaired ToM in schizophrenia might be related to a deficit in visual attention toward gaze orientation. We adapted a previous non-verbal ToM paradigm consisting of animated cartoons allowing the assessment of goal and belief attribution. In the true and false belief conditions, an object was displaced while an agent was either looking at it or away, respectively. Eye movements were recorded to quantify visual attention to gaze orientation (proportion of time participants spent looking at the head of the agent while the target object changed locations). 29 patients with schizophrenia and 29 matched controls were tested. Compared to controls, patients looked significantly less at the agent's head and had lower performance in belief and goal attribution. Performance in belief and goal attribution significantly increased with the head looking percentage. When the head looking percentage was entered as a covariate, the group effect on belief and goal attribution performance was not significant anymore. Patients' deficit on this visual ToM paradigm is thus entirely explained by a decreased visual attention toward gaze. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interdisciplinary diagnostics in environmental medicine--findings and follow-up in patients with chronic medically unexplained health complaints.

PubMed

Herr, Caroline E; Kopka, Ines; Mach, Jens; Runkel, Bettina; Schill, Wolf-Bernhard; Gieler, Uwe; Eikmann, Thomas F

2004-01-01

In patients attributing their chronic, medically unexplained complaints to environmental factors the greatest challenge is to overcome their disabling belief in toxicogenic explanations. Patients presenting with health complaints that they attributed to environmental causes in an environmental outpatient department (EOPD) within a university medical center in Germany were studied. An interdisciplinary review of previously diagnosed medical conditions, current clinical consultations, personal risk communication and therapeutic advice is presented. Additionally, patient contentedness, complaint development, and belief in environmental attribution in a follow-up interview are given. The open, prospective study comprises 51 patients reporting more than one complaint. Symptoms had lasted for more than 3 years in 63% of the cases. Seventy percent attributed their complaints to more than one environmental cause. The clinical diagnostic procedure reduced the number of prediagnosed clinical conditions by 50%. Numerous foregoing environmental laboratory analyses had overestimated toxicologically relevant findings. These were not confirmed in 80% (8/10) of the cases. In 8% (n = 4) of the patients a relevant environmental or occupational medical condition was found. A mental or behavioral condition was not considered to have first priority in explaining all complaints in 43% (22/51) of the patients. Among these, mostly respiratory or skin-related diseases were found. All patients contacted participated in a follow-up study after a minimum of 21 months. Sixty-seven percent reported having felt that they were taken seriously, 38% felt better after the beginning of the study, and 45% were no longer certain about the importance of the environmental attribution. Since 83% of the patients with a preceding residential diagnosis of MCS or SBS still believed in environmental causes of their complaints in the follow-up study, we conclude that these prediagnoses appear to be a risk for persisting attribution of the environmental factor. About one third (37%) of these patients with complaints that had not been medically explained by an organic condition during interdisciplinary diagnostics had meanwhile consulted a psychotherapist. Interdisciplinary diagnostics and scientifically based risk assessment in a specialized clinical center were effective and mostly well accepted by the patients and resulted in reduced attribution of complaints to environmental conditions. No indication was found that patients with complaints not medically explained by organic conditions were managed less successfully by this approach. Considering the high costs that these patients have previously caused, it appears valuable to apply an interdisciplinary diagnostic strategy.

Symbolic comparisons of objects on color attributes.

PubMed

Paivio, A; te Linde, J

1980-11-01

Symbolic comparisons of object brightness and color were investigated in two experiments using words and outline drawings as stimuli. Both experiments yielded orderly symbolic distance effects. Contrary to prediction, no reliable picture advantages emerged. For color comparison, individual differences in word fluency and color memory predicted decision time with word stimuli. These results contrast sharply with those of previous comparison studies involving concrete dimensions. The results are discussed in terms of dual-coding theory and the role of verbal mechanisms in memory for object color.

Balneology: Spa Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Kathryn R.

2008-02-01

In his 1938 Sigma Xi address (subsequently published as J. Chem. Educ. 1939 , 16 , 440-448 ), Oskar Baudisch emphasizes the importance of balneology, the therapeutic use of baths and natural mineral waters. Although some favorable health effects can be attributed to the psychological influences of the spa resort, Baudisch argues that scientific investigations can reveal how the chemical and physical properties of the springs promote specific cures. He gives numerous examples of previous scientific findings, including his own applications of coordination theory and isotope ratio analysis.

The transition to parenthood and well-being: the impact of partner status and work hour transitions.

PubMed

Keizer, Renske; Dykstra, Pearl A; Poortman, Anne-Rigt

2010-08-01

Using data from the first two waves of the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study for 338 women and 262 men, we examine the consequences of making the transition to parenthood for life satisfaction, loneliness, positive affect, negative affect, and partnership satisfaction. We extend previous work by taking transitions in partner status and work hours into account. Results show a moderate impact of becoming a parent on well-being. In so far as effects of making the transition to parenthood emerge, they are attributable to changes in partner status and work hours. First, the decrease in negative affect upon making the transition to motherhood is attributable to the group of women who increase their working hours. Second, the detrimental impact of making the transition to motherhood on partnership satisfaction is attributable to the group of new mothers who quit their job. Third, the detrimental impact of making the transition to fatherhood on loneliness is attributable to the group of new fathers who become married. There is one exception to this pattern of partner status and work hours as mechanisms for changes in well-being. Men who become fathers remain less satisfied with their partnership, even when transitions in partner status and work hours have been taken into account. In the discussion-section, we consider the possible underestimation of negative effects because of the focus on the continuously partnered. We also reflect on our results in the light of the high incidence of part-time work in the Netherlands and Dutch policies aimed at supporting new parents.

Variable synaptic strengths controls the firing rate distribution in feedforward neural networks.

PubMed

Ly, Cheng; Marsat, Gary

2018-02-01

Heterogeneity of firing rate statistics is known to have severe consequences on neural coding. Recent experimental recordings in weakly electric fish indicate that the distribution-width of superficial pyramidal cell firing rates (trial- and time-averaged) in the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) depends on the stimulus, and also that network inputs can mediate changes in the firing rate distribution across the population. We previously developed theoretical methods to understand how two attributes (synaptic and intrinsic heterogeneity) interact and alter the firing rate distribution in a population of integrate-and-fire neurons with random recurrent coupling. Inspired by our experimental data, we extend these theoretical results to a delayed feedforward spiking network that qualitatively capture the changes of firing rate heterogeneity observed in in-vivo recordings. We demonstrate how heterogeneous neural attributes alter firing rate heterogeneity, accounting for the effect with various sensory stimuli. The model predicts how the strength of the effective network connectivity is related to intrinsic heterogeneity in such delayed feedforward networks: the strength of the feedforward input is positively correlated with excitability (threshold value for spiking) when firing rate heterogeneity is low and is negatively correlated with excitability with high firing rate heterogeneity. We also show how our theory can be used to predict effective neural architecture. We demonstrate that neural attributes do not interact in a simple manner but rather in a complex stimulus-dependent fashion to control neural heterogeneity and discuss how it can ultimately shape population codes.

Medication errors: the role of the patient.

PubMed

Britten, Nicky

2009-06-01

1. Patients and their carers will usually be the first to notice any observable problems resulting from medication errors. They will probably be unable to distinguish between medication errors, adverse drug reactions, or 'side effects'. 2. Little is known about how patients understand drug related problems or how they make attributions of adverse effects. Some research suggests that patients' cognitive models of adverse drug reactions bear a close relationship to models of illness perception. 3. Attributions of adverse drug reactions are related to people's previous experiences and to their level of education. The evidence suggests that on the whole patients' reports of adverse drug reactions are accurate. However, patients do not report all the problems they perceive and are more likely to report those that they do perceive as severe. Patients may not report problems attributed to their medications if they are fearful of doctors' reactions. Doctors may respond inappropriately to patients' concerns, for example by ignoring them. Some authors have proposed the use of a symptom checklist to elicit patients' reports of suspected adverse drug reactions. 4. Many patients want information about adverse drug effects, and the challenge for the professional is to judge how much information to provide and the best way of doing so. Professionals' inappropriate emphasis on adherence may be dangerous when a medication error has occurred. 5. Recent NICE guidelines recommend that professionals should ask patients if they have any concerns about their medicines, and this approach is likely to yield information conducive to the identification of medication errors.

Effect of entrainment on stress and pulsar glitches in stratified neutron star crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chamel, N.; Carter, B.

2006-05-01

The buildup of the stress whose relaxation is presumed to account for pulsar frequency glitches can be attributed to various mechanisms, of which the most efficient involve differential rotation of the neutron superfluid in the inner layers of the (magnetically braked) solid crust of a rotating neutron star. In such a case it is usually supposed that the stress is attributable to pinning of superfluid vortices to crust nuclei, but it has been suggested that, even if the pinning effect is too weak, a comparably large stress might still arise just from the deficit of centrifugal buoyancy in the slowed down crust. The present work is a re-examination that investigates the way such processes may be affected by considerations that were overlooked in the previous work - notably uncertainties about the `effective' masses that have to be attributed to the `free' superfluid neutrons to allow for their entrainment by the ionic crust material. Though restricted to a Newtonian formulation, this analysis distinguishes more carefully than has been usual between true velocities, which are contravariantly vectorial, and so called `superfluid velocities' that are proportional to momenta, which are essentially covectorial, a technicality that is important when more than one independent current is involved. The results include a Proudman-type theorem to the effect that the superfluid angular velocity must be constant on slightly deformed Taylor cylinders in the force free case, and it is shown how to construct a pair of integral constants of the motion that determine the solution for the pinned case assuming beta equilibrium.

Evaluation of hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis methods for discrimination of primary biological aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crawford, I.; Ruske, S.; Topping, D. O.; Gallagher, M. W.

2015-07-01

In this paper we present improved methods for discriminating and quantifying Primary Biological Aerosol Particles (PBAP) by applying hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis to multi-parameter ultra violet-light induced fluorescence (UV-LIF) spectrometer data. The methods employed in this study can be applied to data sets in excess of 1×106 points on a desktop computer, allowing for each fluorescent particle in a dataset to be explicitly clustered. This reduces the potential for misattribution found in subsampling and comparative attribution methods used in previous approaches, improving our capacity to discriminate and quantify PBAP meta-classes. We evaluate the performance of several hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis linkages and data normalisation methods using laboratory samples of known particle types and an ambient dataset. Fluorescent and non-fluorescent polystyrene latex spheres were sampled with a Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Spectrometer (WIBS-4) where the optical size, asymmetry factor and fluorescent measurements were used as inputs to the analysis package. It was found that the Ward linkage with z-score or range normalisation performed best, correctly attributing 98 and 98.1 % of the data points respectively. The best performing methods were applied to the BEACHON-RoMBAS ambient dataset where it was found that the z-score and range normalisation methods yield similar results with each method producing clusters representative of fungal spores and bacterial aerosol, consistent with previous results. The z-score result was compared to clusters generated with previous approaches (WIBS AnalysiS Program, WASP) where we observe that the subsampling and comparative attribution method employed by WASP results in the overestimation of the fungal spore concentration by a factor of 1.5 and the underestimation of bacterial aerosol concentration by a factor of 5. We suggest that this likely due to errors arising from misatrribution due to poor centroid definition and failure to assign particles to a cluster as a result of the subsampling and comparative attribution method employed by WASP. The methods used here allow for the entire fluorescent population of particles to be analysed yielding an explict cluster attribution for each particle, improving cluster centroid definition and our capacity to discriminate and quantify PBAP meta-classes compared to previous approaches.

Whites Aren't Bad, Asian Americans Are Just Better: Asymmetrical Attributions for the White-Asian American Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sperling, Rick; Zwahr-Castro, Jennifer; Cruz, Felicia; Montalvo, Jason

2017-01-01

Previous research has shown that people often engage in cultural-deficit thinking when reasoning about racial/ethnic achievement gaps. However, it is unclear whether culture-blaming explanations are best thought of as group-level internal attributions, expressions of prejudice against a lower status group, or self-serving bias. In this study,…

Gender Differences in Multiattributional Causality for Achievement and Affiliation in Five Cross-National Samples.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chandler, Theodore A.; And Others

The purpose of this study was to expand the previous limited locus of control focus of gender differences cross-nationally by shifting to an attributional model for both successes and failures in both achievement and affiliation domains in order to test the hypothesis that women differ from men in their attributional patterns for achievement and…

"Boys Press All the Buttons and Hope It Will Help": Upper Secondary School Teachers' Gendered Conceptions about Students' Mathematical Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sumpter, Lovisa

2016-01-01

Previous results show that Swedish upper secondary school teachers attribute gender to cases describing different types of mathematical reasoning. The purpose of this study was to investigate how these teachers gender stereotype aspects of students' mathematical reasoning by studying the symbols that were attributed to boys and girls,…

Global mortality attributable to aircraft cruise emissions.

PubMed

Barrett, Steven R H; Britter, Rex E; Waitz, Ian A

2010-10-01

Aircraft emissions impact human health though degradation of air quality. The majority of previous analyses of air quality impacts from aviation have considered only landing and takeoff emissions. We show that aircraft cruise emissions impact human health over a hemispheric scale and provide the first estimate of premature mortalities attributable to aircraft emissions globally. We estimate ∼8000 premature mortalities per year are attributable to aircraft cruise emissions. This represents ∼80% of the total impact of aviation (where the total includes the effects of landing and takeoff emissions), and ∼1% of air quality-related premature mortalities from all sources. However, we note that the impact of landing and takeoff emissions is likely to be under-resolved. Secondary H(2)SO(4)-HNO(3)-NH(3) aerosols are found to dominate mortality impacts. Due to the altitude and region of the atmosphere at which aircraft emissions are deposited, the extent of transboundary air pollution is particularly strong. For example, we describe how strong zonal westerly winds aloft, the mean meridional circulation around 30-60°N, interaction of aircraft-attributable aerosol precursors with background ammonia, and high population densities in combination give rise to an estimated ∼3500 premature mortalities per year in China and India combined, despite their relatively small current share of aircraft emissions. Subsidence of aviation-attributable aerosol and aerosol precursors occurs predominantly around the dry subtropical ridge, which results in reduced wet removal of aviation-attributable aerosol. It is also found that aircraft NO(x) emissions serve to increase oxidation of nonaviation SO(2), thereby further increasing the air quality impacts of aviation. We recommend that cruise emissions be explicitly considered in the development of policies, technologies and operational procedures designed to mitigate the air quality impacts of air transportation.

Disease burden attributed to alcohol: How methodological advances in the Global Burden of Disease 2013 study have changed the estimates in Sweden.

PubMed

Kellerborg, Klas; Danielsson, Anna-Karin; Allebeck, Peter; Coates, Matthew M; Agardh, Emilie

2016-08-01

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study continuously refines its estimates as new data and methods become available. In the latest iteration of the study, GBD 2013, changes were made related to the disease burden attributed to alcohol. The aim of this study was to briefly present these changes and to compare the disease burden attributed to alcohol in Swedish men and women in 2010 using previous and updated methods. In the GBD study, the contribution of alcohol to the burden of disease is estimated by theoretically assessing how much of the disease burden can be avoided by reducing the consumption of alcohol to zero. The updated methods mainly consider improved measurements of alcohol consumption, including less severe alcohol dependence, assigning the most severe injuries and removing the protective effect of drinking on cardiovascular diseases if combined with binge drinking. The overall disease burden attributed to alcohol in 2010 increased by 14% when using the updated methods. Women accounted for this overall increase, mainly because the updated methods led to an overall higher alcohol consumption in women. By contrast, the overall burden decreased in men, one reason being the lower overall alcohol consumption with the new methods. In men, the inclusion of less severe alcohol dependence resulted in a large decrease in the alcohol attributed disease burden. This was, however, evened out to a great extent by the increase in cardiovascular disease and injuries. CONCLUSIONS WHEN USING THE UPDATED GBD METHODS, THE OVERALL DISEASE BURDEN ATTRIBUTED TO ALCOHOL INCREASED IN WOMEN, BUT NOT IN MEN. © 2016 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

The impact of front-of-pack marketing attributes versus nutrition and health information on parents' food choices.

PubMed

Georgina Russell, Catherine; Burke, Paul F; Waller, David S; Wei, Edward

2017-09-01

Front-of-pack attributes have the potential to affect parents' food choices on behalf of their children and form one avenue through which strategies to address the obesogenic environment can be developed. Previous work has focused on the isolated effects of nutrition and health information (e.g. labeling systems, health claims), and how parents trade off this information against co-occurring marketing features (e.g. product imagery, cartoons) is unclear. A Discrete Choice Experiment was utilized to understand how front-of-pack nutrition, health and marketing attributes, as well as pricing, influenced parents' choices of cereal for their child. Packages varied with respect to the two elements of the Australian Health Star Rating system (stars and nutrient facts panel), along with written claims, product visuals, additional visuals, and price. A total of 520 parents (53% male) with a child aged between five and eleven years were recruited via an online panel company and completed the survey. Product visuals, followed by star ratings, were found to be the most significant attributes in driving choice, while written claims and other visuals were the least significant. Use of the Health Star Rating (HSR) system and other features were related to the child's fussiness level and parents' concerns about their child's weight with parents of fussy children, in particular, being less influenced by the HSR star information and price. The findings suggest that front-of-pack health labeling systems can affect choice when parents trade this information off against marketing attributes, yet some marketing attributes can be more influential, and not all parents utilize this information in the same way. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Intrinsic and extrinsic effects on image memorability.

PubMed

Bylinskii, Zoya; Isola, Phillip; Bainbridge, Constance; Torralba, Antonio; Oliva, Aude

2015-11-01

Previous studies have identified that images carry the attribute of memorability, a predictive value of whether a novel image will be later remembered or forgotten. Here we investigate the interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect image memorability. First, we find that intrinsic differences in memorability exist at a finer-grained scale than previously documented. Second, we test two extrinsic factors: image context and observer behavior. Building on prior findings that images that are distinct with respect to their context are better remembered, we propose an information-theoretic model of image distinctiveness. Our model can automatically predict how changes in context change the memorability of natural images. In addition to context, we study a second extrinsic factor: where an observer looks while memorizing an image. It turns out that eye movements provide additional information that can predict whether or not an image will be remembered, on a trial-by-trial basis. Together, by considering both intrinsic and extrinsic effects on memorability, we arrive at a more complete and fine-grained model of image memorability than previously available. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sex-dependent impact of early-life stress and adult immobilization in the attribution of incentive salience in rats.

PubMed

Fuentes, Silvia; Carrasco, Javier; Hatto, Abigail; Navarro, Juan; Armario, Antonio; Monsonet, Manel; Ortiz, Jordi; Nadal, Roser

2018-01-01

Early life stress (ELS) induces long-term effects in later functioning and interacts with further exposure to other stressors in adulthood to shape our responsiveness to reward-related cues. The attribution of incentive salience to food-related cues may be modulated by previous and current exposures to stressors in a sex-dependent manner. We hypothesized from human data that exposure to a traumatic (severe) adult stressor will decrease the attribution of incentive salience to reward-associated cues, especially in females, because these effects are modulated by previous ELS. To study these factors in Long-Evans rats, we used as an ELS model of restriction of nesting material and concurrently evaluated maternal care. In adulthood, the offspring of both sexes were exposed to acute immobilization (IMO), and several days after, a Pavlovian conditioning procedure was used to assess the incentive salience of food-related cues. Some rats developed more attraction to the cue predictive of reward (sign-tracking) and others were attracted to the location of the reward itself, the food-magazine (goal-tracking). Several dopaminergic markers were evaluated by in situ hybridization. The results showed that ELS increased maternal care and decreased body weight gain (only in females). Regarding incentive salience, in absolute control animals, females presented slightly greater sign-tracking behavior than males. Non-ELS male rats exposed to IMO showed a bias towards goal-tracking, whereas in females, IMO produced a bias towards sign-tracking. Animals of both sexes not exposed to IMO displayed an intermediate phenotype. ELS in IMO-treated females was able to reduce sign-tracking and decrease tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the ventral tegmental area and dopamine D1 receptor expression in the accumbens shell. Although the predicted greater decrease in females in sign-tracking after IMO exposure was not corroborated by the data, the results highlight the idea that sex is an important factor in the study of the long-term impact of early and adult stressors.

Sex-dependent impact of early-life stress and adult immobilization in the attribution of incentive salience in rats

PubMed Central

Fuentes, Silvia; Carrasco, Javier; Hatto, Abigail; Navarro, Juan; Armario, Antonio; Monsonet, Manel; Ortiz, Jordi

2018-01-01

Early life stress (ELS) induces long-term effects in later functioning and interacts with further exposure to other stressors in adulthood to shape our responsiveness to reward-related cues. The attribution of incentive salience to food-related cues may be modulated by previous and current exposures to stressors in a sex-dependent manner. We hypothesized from human data that exposure to a traumatic (severe) adult stressor will decrease the attribution of incentive salience to reward-associated cues, especially in females, because these effects are modulated by previous ELS. To study these factors in Long-Evans rats, we used as an ELS model of restriction of nesting material and concurrently evaluated maternal care. In adulthood, the offspring of both sexes were exposed to acute immobilization (IMO), and several days after, a Pavlovian conditioning procedure was used to assess the incentive salience of food-related cues. Some rats developed more attraction to the cue predictive of reward (sign-tracking) and others were attracted to the location of the reward itself, the food-magazine (goal-tracking). Several dopaminergic markers were evaluated by in situ hybridization. The results showed that ELS increased maternal care and decreased body weight gain (only in females). Regarding incentive salience, in absolute control animals, females presented slightly greater sign-tracking behavior than males. Non-ELS male rats exposed to IMO showed a bias towards goal-tracking, whereas in females, IMO produced a bias towards sign-tracking. Animals of both sexes not exposed to IMO displayed an intermediate phenotype. ELS in IMO-treated females was able to reduce sign-tracking and decrease tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the ventral tegmental area and dopamine D1 receptor expression in the accumbens shell. Although the predicted greater decrease in females in sign-tracking after IMO exposure was not corroborated by the data, the results highlight the idea that sex is an important factor in the study of the long-term impact of early and adult stressors. PMID:29324797

Individual differences in self-appraisals and responses to dating violence scenarios.

PubMed

Katz, J; Street, A; Arias, I

1997-01-01

Previous research suggests that certain types of self-appraisals may predispose individuals to be more or less tolerant of relationship violence. The current study investigates two such appraisals, self-esteem and self-attributions, as correlates of women's responses to hypothetical episodes of relationship violence by their dating partners. Undergraduate women involved in dating relationships (N = 145) reported global self-esteem, attributions for hypothetical partner aggression, and probable responses to the aggression. Results showed that self-esteem and self-attributions emerged as correlates of intentions to forgive violence, whereas only self-attributions emerged as a correlate of intentions to dissolve the relationship. The association between self-attributions and intentions to exit a violent relationship was fully mediated by intentions to forgive the partner. Because self-appraisals may inform prevention programs for women who may experience relationship violence, clinical implications are discussed.

Motivational Differences in Seeking Out Evaluative Categorization Information.

PubMed

Smallman, Rachel; Becker, Brittney

2017-07-01

Previous research shows that people draw finer evaluative distinctions when rating liked versus disliked objects (e.g., wanting a 5-point scale to evaluate liked cuisines and a 3-point scale to rate disliked cuisines). Known as the preference-categorization effect, this pattern may exist not only in how individuals form evaluative distinctions but also in how individuals seek out evaluative information. The current research presents three experiments that examine motivational differences in evaluative information seeking (rating scales and attributes). Experiment 1 found that freedom of choice (the ability to avoid undesirable stimuli) and sensitivity to punishment (as measured by the Behavior Inhibition System/Behavioral Approach System [BIS/BAS] scale) influenced preferences for desirable and undesirable evaluative information in a health-related decision. Experiment 2 examined choice optimization, finding that maximizers prefer finer evaluative information for both liked and disliked options in a consumer task. Experiment 3 found that this pattern generalizes to another type of evaluative categorization, attributes.

Perception of personal identity at home.

PubMed

Aragonés, Juan I; Amérigo, María; Pérez-López, Raquel

2010-11-01

This study aims to discover whether observers with the same cultural background as the inhabitant of a bedroom perceive common characteristics among the inhabitants. The study was carried out with 107 females who were asked to assess the inhabitants of eight bedrooms. Several slides of each bedroom were shown to participants and they had to choose from a list of seventy-six characteristics those that defined the resident of each bedroom. Results revealed that socio-demographic variables thus attributed coincided with the profiles of the inhabitants. A correspondence analysis brought to light a dimension linked to affective aspects, which was more prominent among women; whereas among men the characteristics thus attributed were more linked to practical aspects and to difficulties for social interaction. A second study was conducted to determine whether gender stereotype had any influence on the result of the previous study. The outcomes showed that this stereotype did not have any effect on the participants' judgments.

Parkinson's disease: carbidopa, nausea, and dyskinesia.

PubMed

Hinz, Marty; Stein, Alvin; Cole, Ted

2014-01-01

When l-dopa use began in the early 1960s for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, nausea and reversible dyskinesias were experienced as continuing side effects. Carbidopa or benserazide was added to l-dopa in 1975 solely to control nausea. Subsequent to the increasing use of carbidopa has been the recognition of irreversible dyskinesias, which have automatically been attributed to l-dopa. The research into the etiology of these phenomena has identified the causative agent of the irreversible dyskinesias as carbidopa, not l-dopa. The mechanism of action of the carbidopa and benserazide causes irreversible binding and inactivation of vitamin B6 throughout the body. The consequences of this action are enormous, interfering with over 300 enzyme and protein functions. This has the ability to induce previously undocumented profound antihistamine dyskinesias, which have been wrongly attributed to l-dopa and may be perceived as irreversible if proper corrective action is not taken.

A Reexamination of Developmental Changes in Causal Attributions

PubMed Central

Dalenberg, Constance J.; Bierman, Karen Linn; Furman, Wyndol

2012-01-01

The current study examined young children's use of the presence or absence of extrinsic reward to make inferences about the intrinsic motivation of another person. Previous research indicates that most kindergartners do not use a discounting heuristic, but it was hypothesized that they may have misinterpreted the questions asked. Kindergarten, second, and fourth graders were presented stories about children who were rewarded or not rewarded for performing various activities Two forms of questioning about motivation were compared. When a traditional form was used, kindergartners did not show evidence of a discounting heuristic. When the questions were adjusted to ask more specifically about intrinsic motivation, children at all grade levels appeared to use a discounting heuristic. Results are discussed in terms of the parameters of the attributional effects, the possible mechanisms responsible for the phenomena, and the significance of the findings for other developmental research using self-report techniques. PMID:25378710

Parkinson’s disease: carbidopa, nausea, and dyskinesia

PubMed Central

Hinz, Marty; Stein, Alvin; Cole, Ted

2014-01-01

When l-dopa use began in the early 1960s for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, nausea and reversible dyskinesias were experienced as continuing side effects. Carbidopa or benserazide was added to l-dopa in 1975 solely to control nausea. Subsequent to the increasing use of carbidopa has been the recognition of irreversible dyskinesias, which have automatically been attributed to l-dopa. The research into the etiology of these phenomena has identified the causative agent of the irreversible dyskinesias as carbidopa, not l-dopa. The mechanism of action of the carbidopa and benserazide causes irreversible binding and inactivation of vitamin B6 throughout the body. The consequences of this action are enormous, interfering with over 300 enzyme and protein functions. This has the ability to induce previously undocumented profound antihistamine dyskinesias, which have been wrongly attributed to l-dopa and may be perceived as irreversible if proper corrective action is not taken. PMID:25484598

Predictors of student satisfaction in distance-delivered graduate nursing courses: what matters most?

PubMed

Debourgh, Gregory A

2003-01-01

This article describes a study designed to investigate graduate nursing students' satisfaction with a course taught via interactive video teleconferencing (IVT) and the World Wide Web/Internet (WWW/INT). A correlational research design examined the relationships among 5 learner attributes and 3 instructional variables and student satisfaction. Regression analyses identified learner attributes and instructional variables predictive of student satisfaction. Forty-three graduate nurse students were surveyed using a 59-item Student Satisfaction Survey (SSS). Learner attribute predictors included: (1) previous technology courses, (2) technology competence, (3) between-class technology usage, (4) age, and (5) remote-site group size. Instructional predictors were clustered into 3 dimensions: instructor/instruction, technology, and course management. Student satisfaction was a composite of overall satisfaction with the course and comparison with conventional classroom courses. Instructor/instruction explained 21 percent of the variance in course satisfaction scores. Overall instructor rating strongly correlated with satisfaction. The most potent finding was that good pedagogy is important to students' perceived satisfaction with distance education. Students acclimate to the instructional reality-traditional, campus-based face-to-face instruction, or technology-mediated distance education-and once accustomed, it is the quality and effectiveness of instructor and instruction, not the technology, that is associated with satisfaction. The findings of this study provide essential information to faculty responsible for the design and delivery of effective instruction and to students pursuing flexible and convenient options for advanced education.

Choices Behind Numbers: a Review of the Major Air Pollution Health Impact Assessments in Europe.

PubMed

Malmqvist, E; Oudin, A; Pascal, M; Medina, S

2018-03-01

The aim of this review is to identify the key contextual and methodological differences in health impact assessments (HIA) of ambient air pollution performed for Europe. We limited our review to multi-country reviews. An additional aim is to quantify some of these differences by applying them in a HIA template in three European cities. Several HIAs of ambient air pollution have been performed for Europe, and their key results have been largely disseminated. Different studies have, however, come up with substantial differences in attributed health effects. It is of importance to review the background contributing to these differences and to quantify their importance for decision makers who will use them. We identified several methodological differences that could explain the discrepancy behind the number of attributable deaths or years of life lost. The main differences are due to the exposure-response functions chosen, the ways of assessing air pollution levels, the air pollution scenarios and the study population. In the quantification part, we found that using risk estimates from the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE) instead of the American Cancer Society (ACS) study could nearly double the attributable burden of ambient air pollution. This study provides some insights into the differential results in previously published HIAs on air pollution in Europe. These results are important for stakeholders in order to make informed decisions.

Validation of thermal effects of LED package by using Elmer finite element simulation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leng, Lai Siang; Retnasamy, Vithyacharan; Mohamad Shahimin, Mukhzeer; Sauli, Zaliman; Taniselass, Steven; Bin Ab Aziz, Muhamad Hafiz; Vairavan, Rajendaran; Kirtsaeng, Supap

2017-02-01

The overall performance of the Light-emitting diode, LED package is critically affected by the heat attribution. In this study, open source software - Elmer FEM has been utilized to study the thermal analysis of the LED package. In order to perform a complete simulation study, both Salome software and ParaView software were introduced as Pre and Postprocessor. The thermal effect of the LED package was evaluated by this software. The result has been validated with commercially licensed software based on previous work. The percentage difference from both simulation results is less than 5% which is tolerable and comparable.

Perceptual grouping does not affect multi-attribute decision making if no processing costs are involved.

PubMed

Ettlin, Florence; Bröder, Arndt

2015-05-01

Adaptive strategy selection implies that a decision strategy is chosen based on its fit to the task and situation. However, other aspects, such as the way information is presented, can determine information search behavior; especially when the application of certain strategies over others is facilitated. But are such display effects on multi-attribute decisions also at work when the manipulation does not entail differential costs for different decision strategies? Three Mouselab experiments with hidden information and one eye tracking experiment with an open information board revealed that decision behavior is unaffected by purely perceptual manipulations of the display based on Gestalt principles; that is, based on manipulations that induce no noteworthy processing costs for different information search patterns. We discuss our results in the context of previous findings on display effects; specifically, how the combination of these findings and our results reveal the crucial role of differential processing costs for different strategies for the emergence of display effects. This finding describes a boundary condition of the commonly acknowledged influence of information displays and is in line with the ideas of adaptive strategy selection and cost-benefit tradeoffs. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Recurrent personality dimensions in inclusive lexical studies: indications for a big six structure.

PubMed

Saucier, Gerard

2009-10-01

Previous evidence for both the Big Five and the alternative six-factor model has been drawn from lexical studies with relatively narrow selections of attributes. This study examined factors from previous lexical studies using a wider selection of attributes in 7 languages (Chinese, English, Filipino, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, and Turkish) and found 6 recurrent factors, each with common conceptual content across most of the studies. The previous narrow-selection-based six-factor model outperformed the Big Five in capturing the content of the 6 recurrent wideband factors. Adjective markers of the 6 recurrent wideband factors showed substantial incremental prediction of important criterion variables over and above the Big Five. Correspondence between wideband 6 and narrowband 6 factors indicate they are variants of a "Big Six" model that is more general across variable-selection procedures and may be more general across languages and populations.

Perception of the etiology of illness: causal attributions in a heart patient population.

PubMed

Koslowsky, M; Croog, S H; La Voie, L

1978-10-01

This study examined perceived causes of myocardial infarction in a patient population of 345 men previously free from significant medical problems. Investigation of their perceptions following the life-threatening illness crisis indicated that stress and tension factors were the causes most commonly cited. Possible social and psychological correlates are analyzed using an attribution theory framework, and their implications are discussed.

Domain Independent Assessment of Dialogic Properties of Classroom Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samei, Borhan; Olney, Andrew M.; Kelly, Sean; Nystrand, Martin; D'Mello, Sidney; Blanchard, Nathan; Sun, Xiaoyi; Glaus, Marcy; Graesser, Art

2014-01-01

We present a machine learning model that uses particular attributes of individual questions asked by teachers and students to predict two properties of classroom discourse that have previously been linked to improved student achievement. These properties, uptake and authenticity, have previously been studied by using trained observers to live-code…

Probability Matching in the Right Hemisphere

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, M.B.; Valsangkar-Smyth, M.

2005-01-01

Previously it has been shown that the left hemisphere, but not the right, of split-brain patients tends to match the frequency of previous occurrences in probability-guessing paradigms (Wolford, Miller, & Gazzaniga, 2000). This phenomenon has been attributed to an ''interpreter,'' a mechanism for making interpretations and forming hypotheses,…

Reducing Misanthropic Memory Through Self-Awareness: Reducing Bias.

PubMed

Davis, Mark D

2015-01-01

Two experiments investigated the influence of self-awareness on misanthropic recall. Misanthropic recall is the tendency to recall more negative behaviors dispositionally attributed and positive behaviors situationally attributed than negative behaviors situationally attributed and positive behaviors dispositionally attributed. It was hypothesized that when one is self-aware, more systematic information processing would occur, thereby reducing misanthropic memory and influencing attitudinal judgments. The first experiment used a mirror and the second experiment used a live video to induce self-awareness. Participants were asked to form an impression of a group. The results of both experiments replicated the previously found pattern of misanthropic memory for non-self-aware participants (Ybarra & Stephan, 1996), and revealed less misanthropic recall bias in self-aware participants.

Language and short-term memory: the role of perceptual-motor affordance.

PubMed

Macken, Bill; Taylor, John C; Jones, Dylan M

2014-09-01

The advantage for real words over nonwords in serial recall--the lexicality effect--is typically attributed to support for item-level phonology, either via redintegration, whereby partially degraded short-term traces are "cleaned up" via support from long-term representations of the phonological material or via the more robust temporary activation of long-term lexical phonological knowledge that derives from its combination with established lexical and semantic levels of representation. The much smaller effect of lexicality in serial recognition, where the items are re-presented in the recognition cue, is attributed either to the minimal role for redintegration from long-term memory or to the minimal role for item memory itself in such retrieval conditions. We show that the reduced lexicality effect in serial recognition is not a function of the retrieval conditions, but rather because previous demonstrations have used auditory presentation, and we demonstrate a robust lexicality effect for visual serial recognition in a setting where auditory presentation produces no such effect. Furthermore, this effect is abolished under conditions of articulatory suppression. We argue that linguistic knowledge affects the readiness with which verbal material is segmentally recoded via speech motor processes that support rehearsal and therefore affects tasks that involve recoding. On the other hand, auditory perceptual organization affords sequence matching in the absence of such a requirement for segmental recoding and therefore does not show such effects of linguistic knowledge.

Attribution of somatic symptoms in hypochondriasis.

PubMed

Neng, Julia M B; Weck, Florian

2015-01-01

The misinterpretation of bodily symptoms as an indicator of a serious illness is a key feature of the criteria and the cognitive-behavioural models of hypochondriasis. Previous research suggests that individuals suffering from health anxiety endorse attributions of physical disease, whereas persons with elevated general anxiety have the tendency to attribute psychological causes to their symptoms. However, whether a somatic attribution style is specific to patients with hypochondriasis, as opposed to those with anxiety disorders, has not yet been investigated and is therefore part of the present study. Fifty patients with hypochondriasis, 50 patients with a primary anxiety disorder and 50 healthy participants were presented with nine common bodily sensations and had to spontaneously attribute possible causes to the symptoms. Patients with hypochondriasis differed from patients with anxiety disorders and healthy controls in giving significantly fewer normalizing explanations, but attributing more often in terms of moderate or serious diseases. Patients with anxiety disorders also made significantly fewer normalizing attributions and more somatic attributions to a severe illness than healthy controls. There were no differences between the groups in the frequency of psychological attributions and somatic attributions concerning mild diseases. The present study demonstrates that hypochondriasis is associated with a disorder-specific attribution style connecting somatic symptoms primarily with moderate and serious diseases. By contrast, normalizing attributions are largely omitted from consideration by patients with hypochondriasis. The findings conform with the cognitive conception of hypochondriasis and support the strategy of modifying symptom attributions, as practiced in cognitive-behavioural therapy. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Gender attribution and gender agreement in French Williams syndrome.

PubMed

Boloh, Yves; Ibernon, Laure; Royer, Stéphanie; Escudier, Frédérique; Danillon, Aurélia

2009-01-01

Previous studies on grammatical gender in French individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have led to conflicting findings and interpretations regarding keys abilities--gender attribution and gender agreement. New production data from a larger WS sample (N=24) showed that gender attribution scores in WS participants exactly mirrored those of controls: all groups overwhelmingly relied on the masculine as the default gender. WS participants' agreement scores were far lower than those of CA-controls though not significantly below those of MA-controls. They also did not improve with age, which might suggest a permanent disability in this area.

Individual differences in the attribution of incentive salience to reward-related cues: Implications for addiction.

PubMed

Flagel, Shelly B; Akil, Huda; Robinson, Terry E

2009-01-01

Drugs of abuse acquire different degrees of control over thoughts and actions based not only on the effects of drugs themselves, but also on predispositions of the individual. Those individuals who become addicted are unable to shift their thoughts and actions away from drugs and drug-associated stimuli. Thus in addicts, exposure to places or things (cues) that has been previously associated with drug-taking often instigates renewed drug-taking. We and others have postulated that drug-associated cues acquire the ability to maintain and instigate drug-taking behavior in part because they acquire incentive motivational properties through Pavlovian (stimulus-stimulus) learning. In the case of compulsive behavioral disorders, including addiction, such cues may be attributed with pathological incentive value ("incentive salience"). For this reason, we have recently begun to explore individual differences in the tendency to attribute incentive salience to cues that predict rewards. When discrete cues are associated with the non-contingent delivery of food or drug rewards some animals come to quickly approach and engage the cue even if it is located at a distance from where the reward will be delivered. In these animals the reward-predictive cue itself becomes attractive, eliciting approach towards it, presumably because it is attributed with incentive salience. Animals that develop this type of conditional response are called "sign-trackers". Other animals, "goal-trackers", do not approach the reward-predictive cue, but upon cue presentation they immediately go to the location where food will be delivered (the "goal"). For goal-trackers the reward-predictive cue is not attractive, presumably because it is not attributed with incentive salience. We review here preliminary data suggesting that these individual differences in the tendency to attribute incentive salience to cues predictive of reward may confer vulnerability or resistance to compulsive behavioral disorders, including addiction. It will be important, therefore, to study how environmental, neurobiological and genetic interactions determine the extent to which individuals attribute incentive value to reward-predictive stimuli.

Estimating uncertainty in respondent-driven sampling using a tree bootstrap method.

PubMed

Baraff, Aaron J; McCormick, Tyler H; Raftery, Adrian E

2016-12-20

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a network-based form of chain-referral sampling used to estimate attributes of populations that are difficult to access using standard survey tools. Although it has grown quickly in popularity since its introduction, the statistical properties of RDS estimates remain elusive. In particular, the sampling variability of these estimates has been shown to be much higher than previously acknowledged, and even methods designed to account for RDS result in misleadingly narrow confidence intervals. In this paper, we introduce a tree bootstrap method for estimating uncertainty in RDS estimates based on resampling recruitment trees. We use simulations from known social networks to show that the tree bootstrap method not only outperforms existing methods but also captures the high variability of RDS, even in extreme cases with high design effects. We also apply the method to data from injecting drug users in Ukraine. Unlike other methods, the tree bootstrap depends only on the structure of the sampled recruitment trees, not on the attributes being measured on the respondents, so correlations between attributes can be estimated as well as variability. Our results suggest that it is possible to accurately assess the high level of uncertainty inherent in RDS.

Lexicality Effects in Word and Nonword Recall of Semantic Dementia and Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia

PubMed Central

Reilly, Jamie; Troche, Joshua; Chatel, Alison; Park, Hyejin; Kalinyak-Fliszar, Michelene; Antonucci, Sharon M.; Martin, Nadine

2012-01-01

Background Verbal working memory is an essential component of many language functions, including sentence comprehension and word learning. As such, working memory has emerged as a domain of intense research interest both in aphasiology and in the broader field of cognitive neuroscience. The integrity of verbal working memory encoding relies on a fluid interaction between semantic and phonological processes. That is, we encode verbal detail using many cues related to both the sound and meaning of words. Lesion models can provide an effective means of parsing the contributions of phonological or semantic impairment to recall performance. Methods and Procedures We employed the lesion model approach here by contrasting the nature of lexicality errors incurred during recall of word and nonword sequences by 3individuals with progressive nonfluent aphasia (a phonological dominant impairment) compared to that of 2 individuals with semantic dementia (a semantic dominant impairment). We focused on psycholinguistic attributes of correctly recalled stimuli relative to those that elicited a lexicality error (i.e., nonword → word OR word → nonword). Outcomes and results Patients with semantic dementia showed greater sensitivity to phonological attributes (e.g., phoneme length, wordlikeness) of the target items relative to semantic attributes (e.g., familiarity). Patients with PNFA showed the opposite pattern, marked by sensitivity to word frequency, age of acquisition, familiarity, and imageability. Conclusions We interpret these results in favor of a processing strategy such that in the context of a focal phonological impairment patients revert to an over-reliance on preserved semantic processing abilities. In contrast, a focal semantic impairment forces both reliance upon and hypersensitivity to phonological attributes of target words. We relate this interpretation to previous hypotheses about the nature of verbal short-term memory in progressive aphasia. PMID:23486736

No blank slates: Pre-existing schemas about pharmaceuticals predict memory for side effects.

PubMed

Heller, Monika K; Chapman, Sarah C E; Horne, Rob

2017-04-01

Attribution of symptoms as medication side effects is informed by pre-existing beliefs about medicines and perceptions of personal sensitivity to their effects (pharmaceutical schemas). We tested whether (1) pharmaceutical schemas were associated with memory (recall/recognition) for side effect information (2) memory explained the attribution of a common unrelated symptom as a side effect. In this analogue study participants saw the patient leaflet of a fictitious asthma drug listing eight side effects. We measured recall and recognition memory for side effects and used a vignette to test whether participants attributed an unlisted common symptom (headache) as a side effect. Participants who perceived pharmaceuticals as more harmful in general recalled fewer side effects correctly (r Correct Recall  = -.273), were less able to differentiate between listed and unlisted side effects (r Recognition Sensitivity  = -.256) and were more likely to attribute the unlisted headache symptom as a side effect (r side effect attribution  = .381, ps < .01). The effect of harm beliefs on side effect attribution was partially mediated by correct recall of side effects. Pharmaceutical schemas are associated with memory for side effect information. Memory may explain part of the association between pharmaceutical schemas and the attribution of unrelated symptoms as side effects.

Hierarchical competitions subserving multi-attribute choice

PubMed Central

Hunt, Laurence T; Dolan, Raymond J; Behrens, Timothy EJ

2015-01-01

Valuation is a key tenet of decision neuroscience, where it is generally assumed that different attributes of competing options are assimilated into unitary values. Such values are central to current neural models of choice. By contrast, psychological studies emphasize complex interactions between choice and valuation. Principles of neuronal selection also suggest competitive inhibition may occur in early valuation stages, before option selection. Here, we show behavior in multi-attribute choice is best explained by a model involving competition at multiple levels of representation. This hierarchical model also explains neural signals in human brain regions previously linked to valuation, including striatum, parietal and prefrontal cortex, where activity represents competition within-attribute, competition between attributes, and option selection. This multi-layered inhibition framework challenges the assumption that option values are computed before choice. Instead our results indicate a canonical competition mechanism throughout all stages of a processing hierarchy, not simply at a final choice stage. PMID:25306549

The current economic burden of illness of osteoporosis in Canada

PubMed Central

Burke, N.; Von Keyserlingk, C.; Leslie, W. D.; Morin, S. N.; Adachi, J. D.; Papaioannou, A.; Bessette, L.; Brown, J. P.; Pericleous, L.; Tarride, J.

2016-01-01

Summary We estimate the current burden of illness of osteoporosis in Canada is double ($4.6 billion) our previous estimates ($2.3 billion) due to improved data capture of the multiple encounters and services that accompany a fracture: emergency room, admissions to acute and step-down non-acute institutions, rehabilitation, home-assisted or long-term residency support. Introduction We previously estimated the economic burden of illness of osteoporosis-attributable fractures in Canada for the year 2008 to be $2.3 billion in the base case and as much as $3.9 billion. The aim of this study is to update the estimate of the economic burden of illness for osteoporosis-attributable fractures for Canada based on newly available home care and long-term care (LTC) data. Methods Multiple national databases were used for the fiscal-year ending March 31, 2011 (FY 2010/2011) for acute institutional care, emergency visits, day surgery, secondary admissions for rehabilitation, and complex continuing care, as well as national dispensing data for osteoporosis medications. Gaps in national data were supplemented by provincial and community survey data. Osteoporosis-attributable fractures for Canadians age 50+ were identified by ICD-10-CA codes. Costs were expressed in 2014 dollars. Results In FY 2010/2011, the number of osteoporosis-attributable fractures was 131,443 resulting in 64,884 acute care admissions and 983,074 acute hospital days. Acute care costs were $1.5 billion, an 18 % increase since 2008. The cost of LTC was 33.4 times the previous estimate ($31 million versus $1.03 billion) because of improved data capture. The cost for rehabilitation and secondary admissions increased 3.4 fold, while drug costs decreased 19 %. The overall cost of osteoporosis was over $4.6 billion, an increase of 83 % from the 2008 estimate. Conclusion Since the 2008 estimate, new Canadian data on home care and LTC are available which provided a better estimate of the burden of osteoporosis in Canada. This suggests that our previous estimates were seriously underestimated. PMID:27166680

The current economic burden of illness of osteoporosis in Canada.

PubMed

Hopkins, R B; Burke, N; Von Keyserlingk, C; Leslie, W D; Morin, S N; Adachi, J D; Papaioannou, A; Bessette, L; Brown, J P; Pericleous, L; Tarride, J

2016-10-01

We estimate the current burden of illness of osteoporosis in Canada is double ($4.6 billion) our previous estimates ($2.3 billion) due to improved data capture of the multiple encounters and services that accompany a fracture: emergency room, admissions to acute and step-down non-acute institutions, rehabilitation, home-assisted or long-term residency support. We previously estimated the economic burden of illness of osteoporosis-attributable fractures in Canada for the year 2008 to be $2.3 billion in the base case and as much as $3.9 billion. The aim of this study is to update the estimate of the economic burden of illness for osteoporosis-attributable fractures for Canada based on newly available home care and long-term care (LTC) data. Multiple national databases were used for the fiscal-year ending March 31, 2011 (FY 2010/2011) for acute institutional care, emergency visits, day surgery, secondary admissions for rehabilitation, and complex continuing care, as well as national dispensing data for osteoporosis medications. Gaps in national data were supplemented by provincial and community survey data. Osteoporosis-attributable fractures for Canadians age 50+ were identified by ICD-10-CA codes. Costs were expressed in 2014 dollars. In FY 2010/2011, the number of osteoporosis-attributable fractures was 131,443 resulting in 64,884 acute care admissions and 983,074 acute hospital days. Acute care costs were $1.5 billion, an 18 % increase since 2008. The cost of LTC was 33.4 times the previous estimate ($31 million versus $1.03 billion) because of improved data capture. The cost for rehabilitation and secondary admissions increased 3.4 fold, while drug costs decreased 19 %. The overall cost of osteoporosis was over $4.6 billion, an increase of 83 % from the 2008 estimate. Since the 2008 estimate, new Canadian data on home care and LTC are available which provided a better estimate of the burden of osteoporosis in Canada. This suggests that our previous estimates were seriously underestimated.

Characteristics of Effective Disaster Responders and Leaders: A Survey of Disaster Medical Practitioners.

PubMed

King, Richard V; Larkin, Gregory Luke; Fowler, Raymond L; Downs, Dana L; North, Carol S

2016-10-01

To identify key attributes of effective disaster/mass casualty first responders and leaders, thereby informing the ongoing development of a capable disaster health workforce. We surveyed emergency response practitioners attending a conference session, the EMS State of the Science: A Gathering of Eagles. We used open-ended questions to ask participants to describe key characteristics of successful disaster/mass casualty first responders and leaders. Of the 140 session attendees, 132 (94%) participated in the survey. All responses were categorized by using a previously developed framework. The most frequently mentioned characteristics were related to incident command/disaster knowledge, teamwork/interpersonal skills, performing one's role, and cognitive abilities. Other identified characteristics were related to communication skills, adaptability/flexibility, problem solving/decision-making, staying calm and cool under stress, personal character, and overall knowledge. The survey findings support our prior focus group conclusion that important characteristics of disaster responders and leaders are not limited to the knowledge and skills typically included in disaster training. Further research should examine the extent to which these characteristics are consistently associated with actual effective performance of disaster response personnel and determine how best to incorporate these attributes into competency models, processes, and tools for the development of an effective disaster response workforce. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;page 1 of 4).

Violent video games: The effects of narrative context and reward structure on in-game and postgame aggression.

PubMed

Sauer, James D; Drummond, Aaron; Nova, Natalie

2015-09-01

The potential influence of video game violence on real-world aggression has generated considerable public and scientific interest. Some previous research suggests that playing violent video games can increase postgame aggression. The generalized aggression model (GAM) attributes this to the generalized activation of aggressive schemata. However, it is unclear whether game mechanics that contextualize and encourage or inhibit in-game violence moderate this relationship. Thus, we examined the effects of reward structures and narrative context in a violent video game on in-game and postgame aggression. Contrary to GAM-based predictions, our manipulations differentially affected in-game and postgame aggression. Reward structures selectively affected in-game aggression, whereas narrative context selectively affected postgame aggression. Players who enacted in-game violence through a heroic character exhibited less postgame aggression than players who enacted comparable levels of in-game violence through an antiheroic character. Effects were not attributable to self-activation or character-identification mechanisms, but were consistent with social-cognitive context effects on the interpretation of behavior. These results contradict the GAM's assertion that violent video games affect aggression through a generalized activation mechanism. From an applied perspective, consumer choices may be aided by considering not just game content, but the context in which content is portrayed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Health locus of control and attributions of cause and blame in adjustment to spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Waldron, B; Benson, C; O'Connell, A; Byrne, P; Dooley, B; Burke, T

2010-08-01

The Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90-R) was used to assign participants to either a good adjustment group or a poor adjustment group. Group differences were analyzed with chi (2), t-tests and correlations on factors shown in previous research to be related to coping with spinal cord injury (SCI). This study examines health locus of control (HLC) and attributions of cause and blame in relation to SCI. The replication of study findings in multiple settings is a cornerstone of the evidence base for developing interventions. Previous studies do not show a consensus on the role of attributions of cause and blame in persons with SCI. Similarly, their relationship to adjustment after SCI is unclear. Another attribution, HLC, is similarly analyzed in relation to adjustment. Republic of Ireland. Thirty people with SCI participated. They rated scales measuring psychological adjustment, locus of control (LOC) for health and attributions of cause and blame for the injury. The well-adjusted group had a less external HLC. In addition, participants who were well adjusted endorsed the notion they could have avoided their accident significantly more than the poorly adjusted group. Similarly, they rated the belief that they could have caused the accident at a somewhat greater level. They did not, however, blame themselves any more or any less. Results are consistent with general LOC theory, and suggest an adaptive or protective internal LOC for accepting responsibility for the injury.

Comparative radiation resistance, temperature dependence and performance of diffused junction indium phosphide solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinberg, I.; Swartz, C. K.; Hart, R. E., Jr.; Ghandhi, S. K.; Borrego, J. M.

1987-01-01

Indium phosphide solar cells whose p-n junctions were processed by the open tube capped diffusion and by the closed tube uncapped diffusion of sulfur into Czochralski-grown p-type substrates are compared. Differences found in radiation resistance were attributed to the effects of increased base dopant concentration. Both sets of cells showed superior radiation resistance to that of gallium arsenide cells, in agreement with previous results. No correlation was, however, found between the open-circuit voltage and the temperature dependence of the maximum power.

Ignition Temperatures of Metals in Oxygen Atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laurendeau, N. M.; Glassman, I.

1971-01-01

The ignition temperature of ten common non-toxic metals has been determined experimentally in an oxygen environment. In this investigation a induction furnace facility that emphasized the preignition surface.oxidation effects upon the ignition temperature was used. The bulk ignition temperatures of barium, bismuth, calcium, iron, lead, magnesium, molybdenum, strontium, tin, and zinc were found and compared to the previous results of Grosse and Conway. The differences in the results are attributed to how the heating cycle is carried out and how the cycle affects the surface oxide coat.

Language and Short-Term Memory: The Role of Perceptual-Motor Affordance

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The advantage for real words over nonwords in serial recall—the lexicality effect—is typically attributed to support for item-level phonology, either via redintegration, whereby partially degraded short-term traces are “cleaned up” via support from long-term representations of the phonological material or via the more robust temporary activation of long-term lexical phonological knowledge that derives from its combination with established lexical and semantic levels of representation. The much smaller effect of lexicality in serial recognition, where the items are re-presented in the recognition cue, is attributed either to the minimal role for redintegration from long-term memory or to the minimal role for item memory itself in such retrieval conditions. We show that the reduced lexicality effect in serial recognition is not a function of the retrieval conditions, but rather because previous demonstrations have used auditory presentation, and we demonstrate a robust lexicality effect for visual serial recognition in a setting where auditory presentation produces no such effect. Furthermore, this effect is abolished under conditions of articulatory suppression. We argue that linguistic knowledge affects the readiness with which verbal material is segmentally recoded via speech motor processes that support rehearsal and therefore affects tasks that involve recoding. On the other hand, auditory perceptual organization affords sequence matching in the absence of such a requirement for segmental recoding and therefore does not show such effects of linguistic knowledge. PMID:24797440

The effect of minimalist footwear and instruction on running: an observational study.

PubMed

Barcellona, Massimo Giuseppe; Buckley, Linda; Palmer, Lisa J M; Ormond, Roisin M; Owen, Gwawr; Watson, Daniel J; Woledge, Roger; Newham, Di

2017-01-01

It is not known whether the effects on altered running style which are attributed to minimalist footwear can be achieved by verbal instructions in standard running shoes (SRS). To explore the effect of Vibram FiveFingers (VFF) versus SRS plus running instruction on lower extremity spatiotemporal parameters and lower limb joint kinematics. 35 healthy subjects (mean=30 years, 18 females) were assessed on two occasions with 3D motion analysis. At each session subjects ran on a treadmill (3.58 m/s) for 2 min in either VFF or SRS (randomised order); with and without running instruction. Differences between spatiotemporal parameters and lower limb joint kinematics between conditions were assessed using a 2x2 repeated-measures ANOVA. Wearing VFF significantly increased cadence (p<0.001) and reduced stride length (p<0.01). Prior to initial contact, both instruction and VFF significantly increased foot (p<0.001 and p=0.02, respectively) and ankle (p<0.001 and p=0.02, respectively) plantarflexion, while wearing VFF significantly increased knee extension (p=0.04). At initial contact, instruction significantly increased knee flexion (p=0.04), and foot (p=0.001) and ankle (p=0.03) plantarflexion. At mid-stance and toe-off, instruction significantly increased knee flexion (p=0.048 and p<0.001, respectively) and foot plantarflexion (p<0.001 and p=0.01, respectively). Instruction had a greater effect on increasing knee flexion (p=0.007) and plantarflexion angle (p<0.001) when subjects wore SRS and VFF, respectively. Alterations in spatiotemporal parameters observed when running in VFF are likely to be attributable to the minimalist footwear. However, the kinematic adaptations observed following instruction suggests that changes in joint angles previously attributed to minimalist footwear alone may be similarly achieved with instruction.

Women's interpretation of and responses to potential gynaecological cancer symptoms: a qualitative interview study

PubMed Central

Low, E L; Whitaker, K L; Simon, A E; Sekhon, M; Waller, J

2015-01-01

Objective To explore women's experiences of symptoms potentially indicative of gynaecological cancer in a community-based sample without imposing a cancer perspective. Design A qualitative interview study with thematic analysis of transcripts. Participants 26 women aged ≥30 years, who had experienced a symptom that might indicate gynaecological cancer in the past 3 months, were recruited using a screening questionnaire distributed online and in community settings. Setting London, UK. Results Women attributed gynaecological symptoms to existing illnesses/conditions or considered themselves to be predisposed to them, either through their ‘genes’ or previous personal experience. Normalising symptoms by attributing them to demographic characteristics (eg, age, sex) was common, as was considering them a side effect of hormonal contraception. When women raised cancer as a possible cause, they often dismissed it as unlikely. Responses to symptoms included self-management (eg, self-medicating, making lifestyle changes), adopting a ‘lay system of care’, or consulting a healthcare professional. Triggers to help-seeking included persistent, painful or debilitating symptoms, concern about symptom seriousness, and feeling that help-seeking was legitimised. Barriers to help-seeking included lack of concern, vague symptoms, unusual symptom location, competing time demands, previous negative experiences with the healthcare system, and not wanting to be perceived as a time-waster. Conclusions Attributions of symptoms potentially indicative of a gynaecological cancer were varied, but most often involved women fitting symptoms into their expectations of what was ‘normal’. Normalising acted as a barrier to seeking help from a healthcare professional, alongside competing time demands and negative attitudes towards help-seeking. These barriers may lead to later diagnosis and poorer cancer survival. Our findings could be used to inform the development of interventions to encourage appropriate help-seeking. PMID:26150145

Now you see it, now you don't: on emotion, context, and the algorithmic prediction of human imageability judgments

PubMed Central

Westbury, Chris F.; Shaoul, Cyrus; Hollis, Geoff; Smithson, Lisa; Briesemeister, Benny B.; Hofmann, Markus J.; Jacobs, Arthur M.

2013-01-01

Many studies have shown that behavioral measures are affected by manipulating the imageability of words. Though imageability is usually measured by human judgment, little is known about what factors underlie those judgments. We demonstrate that imageability judgments can be largely or entirely accounted for by two computable measures that have previously been associated with imageability, the size and density of a word's context and the emotional associations of the word. We outline an algorithmic method for predicting imageability judgments using co-occurrence distances in a large corpus. Our computed judgments account for 58% of the variance in a set of nearly two thousand imageability judgments, for words that span the entire range of imageability. The two factors account for 43% of the variance in lexical decision reaction times (LDRTs) that is attributable to imageability in a large database of 3697 LDRTs spanning the range of imageability. We document variances in the distribution of our measures across the range of imageability that suggest that they will account for more variance at the extremes, from which most imageability-manipulating stimulus sets are drawn. The two predictors account for 100% of the variance that is attributable to imageability in newly-collected LDRTs using a previously-published stimulus set of 100 items. We argue that our model of imageability is neurobiologically plausible by showing it is consistent with brain imaging data. The evidence we present suggests that behavioral effects in the lexical decision task that are usually attributed to the abstract/concrete distinction between words can be wholly explained by objective characteristics of the word that are not directly related to the semantic distinction. We provide computed imageability estimates for over 29,000 words. PMID:24421777

Attributions of Responsibility in a Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Vignette among Respondents with CSA Histories: The Role of Abuse Similarity to a Hypothetical Victim

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harding, Hilary G.; Zinzow, Heidi M.; Burns, Erin E.; Jackson, Joan L.

2010-01-01

Previous research suggests that similarity to a victim may influence attributions of responsibility in hypothetical child sexual abuse scenarios. One aspect of similarity receiving mixed support in the literature is respondent child sexual abuse history. Using a sample of 1,345 college women, the present study examined child sexual abuse history,…

Perceived Sexual Orientation Based on Vocal and Facial Stimuli Is Linked to Self-Rated Sexual Orientation in Czech Men

PubMed Central

Valentova, Jaroslava Varella; Havlíček, Jan

2013-01-01

Previous research has shown that lay people can accurately assess male sexual orientation based on limited information, such as face, voice, or behavioral display. Gender-atypical traits are thought to serve as cues to sexual orientation. We investigated the presumed mechanisms of sexual orientation attribution using a standardized set of facial and vocal stimuli of Czech men. Both types of stimuli were rated for sexual orientation and masculinity-femininity by non-student heterosexual women and homosexual men. Our data showed that by evaluating vocal stimuli both women and homosexual men can judge sexual orientation of the target men in agreement with their self-reported sexual orientation. Nevertheless, only homosexual men accurately attributed sexual orientation of the two groups from facial images. Interestingly, facial images of homosexual targets were rated as more masculine than heterosexual targets. This indicates that attributions of sexual orientation are affected by stereotyped association between femininity and male homosexuality; however, reliance on such cues can lead to frequent misjudgments as was the case with the female raters. Although our study is based on a community sample recruited in a non-English speaking country, the results are generally consistent with the previous research and thus corroborate the validity of sexual orientation attributions. PMID:24358180

Negative Priming in Free Recall Reconsidered

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Negative priming in free recall is the finding of impaired memory performance when previously ignored auditory distracters become targets of encoding and retrieval. This negative priming has been attributed to an aftereffect of deploying inhibitory mechanisms that serve to suppress auditory distraction and minimize interference with learning and retrieval of task-relevant information. In 6 experiments, we tested the inhibitory account of the effect of negative priming in free recall against alternative accounts. We found that ignoring auditory distracters is neither sufficient nor necessary to produce the effect of negative priming in free recall. Instead, the effect is more readily accounted for by a buildup of proactive interference occurring whenever 2 successively presented lists of words are drawn from the same semantic category. PMID:26595066

Hydrodynamic effects on cells in agitated tissue culture reactors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cherry, R. S.; Papoutsakis, E. T.

1986-01-01

The mechanisms by which hydrodynamic forces can affect cells grown on microcarrier beads in agitated cell culture reactors were investigated by analyzing the motion of microcarriers relative to the surrounding fluid, to each other, and to moving or stationary solid surfaces. It was found that harmful effects on cell cultures that have been previously attributed to shear can be better explained as the effects of turbulence (of a size scale comparable to the microcarriers or the spacing between them) or collisions. The primary mechanisms of cell damage involve direct interaction between microcarriers and turbulent eddies, collisions between microcarriers in turbulent flow, and collisions against the impeller or other solid surfaces. The implications of these analytical results for the design of tissue culture reactors are discussed.

Surface and exchange-bias effects in compacted CaMnO3-δ nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markovich, V.; Fita, I.; Wisniewski, A.; Puzniak, R.; Mogilyansky, D.; Titelman, L.; Vradman, L.; Herskowitz, M.; Gorodetsky, G.

2008-02-01

Magnetic properties of compacted 50nm CaMnO3-δ (CMO) nanoparticles have been investigated. Measurements of ac-susceptibility exhibit upon cooling two magnetic transitions at Ttilde 270K accompanied by a small spontaneous magnetic moment and a para-antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at TN˜120K , observed previously in bulk CMO. Asymmetric magnetization hysteresis loops observed in applied magnetic fields H≤90kOe are attributed to an exchange coupling between the antiferromagnetic core and the ferromagnetic (FM) shell of the CMO nanoparticles. This work provides the observation of exchange bias effect in manganite nanoparticles with inverted AFM-core-FM-shell structure, as compared to the typical FM-core-AFM-shell. Effects of surface and exchange anisotropy are also discussed.

Effects of Phosphorus Implantation on the Activation of Magnesium Doped in GaN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Kuan-Ting; Chang, Shoou-Jinn; Wu, Sean

2009-08-01

The effects of phosphorus implantation on the activation of magnesium doped in GaN at different dopant concentration ratios have been systematically investigated. Hall effect measurements show that P implantation improves the hole concentration, and that this improvement is dependent on P/Mg dopant concentration ratio and annealing conditions. This phenomenon is attributable to the reduction in self-compensation that results from the formation of deep donors and the enhanced Mg atom activation, which is in reasonable agreement with the optical properties observed by photoluminescence measurements. In addition, a new photoluminescence peak resulting from P-related transitions is also observed, evidently owing to the recombination of electrons from the shallow native donors with holes previously captured by isoelectronic P traps.

Attributional processes in the learned helplessness paradigm: behavioral effects of global attributions.

PubMed

Mikulincer, M

1986-12-01

Following the learned helplessness paradigm, I assessed in this study the effects of global and specific attributions for failure on the generalization of performance deficits in a dissimilar situation. Helplessness training consisted of experience with noncontingent failures on four cognitive discrimination problems attributed to either global or specific causes. Experiment 1 found that performance in a dissimilar situation was impaired following exposure to globally attributed failure. Experiment 2 examined the behavioral effects of the interaction between stable and global attributions of failure. Exposure to unsolvable problems resulted in reduced performance in a dissimilar situation only when failure was attributed to global and stable causes. Finally, Experiment 3 found that learned helplessness deficits were a product of the interaction of global and internal attribution. Performance deficits following unsolvable problems were recorded when failure was attributed to global and internal causes. Results were discussed in terms of the reformulated learned helplessness model.

Wildlife Loss Estimates and Summary of Previous Mitigation Related to Hydroelectric Projects in Montana, Volume Three, Hungry Horse Project.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casey, Daniel

1984-10-01

This assessment addresses the impacts to the wildlife populations and wildlife habitats due to the Hungry Horse Dam project on the South Fork of the Flathead River and previous mitigation of theses losses. In order to develop and focus mitigation efforts, it was first necessary to estimate wildlife and wildlife hatitat losses attributable to the construction and operation of the project. The purpose of this report was to document the best available information concerning the degree of impacts to target wildlife species. Indirect benefits to wildlife species not listed will be identified during the development of alternative mitigation measures. Wildlifemore » species incurring positive impacts attributable to the project were identified.« less

Eliciting older people's preferences for exercise programs: a best-worst scaling choice experiment.

PubMed

Franco, Marcia R; Howard, Kirsten; Sherrington, Catherine; Ferreira, Paulo H; Rose, John; Gomes, Juliana L; Ferreira, Manuela L

2015-01-01

What relative value do older people with a previous fall or mobility-related disability attach to different attributes of exercise? Prospective, best-worst scaling study. Two hundred and twenty community-dwelling people, aged 60 years or older, who presented with a previous fall or mobility-related disability. Online or face-to-face questionnaire. Utility values for different exercise attributes and levels. The utility levels were calculated by asking participants to select the attribute that they considered to be the best (ie, they were most likely to want to participate in programs with this attribute) and worst (ie, least likely to want to participate). The attributes included were: exercise type; time spent on exercise per day; frequency; transport type; travel time; out-of-pocket costs; reduction in the chance of falling; and improvement in the ability to undertake tasks inside and outside of home. The attributes of exercise programs with the highest utility values were: home-based exercise and no need to use transport, followed by an improvement of 60% in the ability to do daily tasks at home, no costs, and decreasing the chances of falling to 0%. The attributes with the lowest utility were travel time of 30 minutes or more and out-of-pocket costs of AUD50 per session. The type of exercise, travel time and costs are more highly valued by older people than the health benefits. These findings suggest that physical activity engagement strategies need to go beyond education about health benefits and focus on improving accessibility to exercise programs. Exercise that can be undertaken at or close to home without any cost is most likely to be taken up by older people with past falls and/or mobility-related disability. Copyright © 2014 Australian Physiotherapy Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Observation of Spin Hall Effect in Photon Tunneling via Weak Measurements

PubMed Central

Zhou, Xinxing; Ling, Xiaohui; Zhang, Zhiyou; Luo, Hailu; Wen, Shuangchun

2014-01-01

Photonic spin Hall effect (SHE) manifesting itself as spin-dependent splitting escapes detection in previous photon tunneling experiments due to the fact that the induced beam centroid shift is restricted to a fraction of wavelength. In this work, we report on the first observation of this tiny effect in photon tunneling via weak measurements based on preselection and postselection technique on the spin states. We find that the spin-dependent splitting is even larger than the potential barrier thickness when spin-polarized photons tunneling through a potential barrier. This photonic SHE is attributed to spin-redirection Berry phase which can be described as a consequence of the spin-orbit coupling. These findings provide new insight into photon tunneling effect and thereby offer the possibility of developing spin-based nanophotonic applications. PMID:25487043

Evaluation of hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis methods for discrimination of primary biological aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crawford, I.; Ruske, S.; Topping, D. O.; Gallagher, M. W.

2015-11-01

In this paper we present improved methods for discriminating and quantifying primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) by applying hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis to multi-parameter ultraviolet-light-induced fluorescence (UV-LIF) spectrometer data. The methods employed in this study can be applied to data sets in excess of 1 × 106 points on a desktop computer, allowing for each fluorescent particle in a data set to be explicitly clustered. This reduces the potential for misattribution found in subsampling and comparative attribution methods used in previous approaches, improving our capacity to discriminate and quantify PBAP meta-classes. We evaluate the performance of several hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis linkages and data normalisation methods using laboratory samples of known particle types and an ambient data set. Fluorescent and non-fluorescent polystyrene latex spheres were sampled with a Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Spectrometer (WIBS-4) where the optical size, asymmetry factor and fluorescent measurements were used as inputs to the analysis package. It was found that the Ward linkage with z-score or range normalisation performed best, correctly attributing 98 and 98.1 % of the data points respectively. The best-performing methods were applied to the BEACHON-RoMBAS (Bio-hydro-atmosphere interactions of Energy, Aerosols, Carbon, H2O, Organics and Nitrogen-Rocky Mountain Biogenic Aerosol Study) ambient data set, where it was found that the z-score and range normalisation methods yield similar results, with each method producing clusters representative of fungal spores and bacterial aerosol, consistent with previous results. The z-score result was compared to clusters generated with previous approaches (WIBS AnalysiS Program, WASP) where we observe that the subsampling and comparative attribution method employed by WASP results in the overestimation of the fungal spore concentration by a factor of 1.5 and the underestimation of bacterial aerosol concentration by a factor of 5. We suggest that this likely due to errors arising from misattribution due to poor centroid definition and failure to assign particles to a cluster as a result of the subsampling and comparative attribution method employed by WASP. The methods used here allow for the entire fluorescent population of particles to be analysed, yielding an explicit cluster attribution for each particle and improving cluster centroid definition and our capacity to discriminate and quantify PBAP meta-classes compared to previous approaches.

Perceived effects of setting attributes on visitor experiences in wilderness: Variation with situational context and visitor characteristics

Treesearch

David N. Cole; Troy E. Hall

2009-01-01

Understanding how setting attributes influence the nature of the visitor experience is crucial to effective recreation management. Highly influential attributes are useful indicators to monitor within a planning framework, such as Limits of Acceptable Change. This study sought to identify the setting attributes perceived to have the most profound effect on the ability...

Multiple cueing dissociates location- and feature-based repetition effects

PubMed Central

Hu, Kesong; Zhan, Junya; Li, Bingzhao; He, Shuchang; Samuel, Arthur G.

2014-01-01

There is an extensive literature on the phenomenon of inhibition of return (IOR): When attention is drawn to a peripheral location and then removed, response time is delayed if a target appears in the previously inspected location. Recent research suggests that non-spatial attribute repetition (i.e., if a target shares a feature like color with the earlier, cueing, stimulus) can have a similar inhibitory effect, at least when the target appears in the previously cued location. What remains unknown is whether location- and feature-based inhibitory effects can be dissociated. In the present study, we used a multiple cueing approach to investigate the properties of location- and feature-based repetition effects. In two experiments (detection, and discrimination), location-based IOR was absent but feature-based inhibition was consistently observed. Thus, the present results indicate that feature- and location-based inhibitory effects are dissociable. The results also provide support for the view that the attentional consequences of multiple cues reflect the overall center of gravity of the cues. We suggest that the repetition costs associated with feature and location repetition may be best understood as a consequence of the pattern of activation for object files associated with the stimuli present in the displays. PMID:24907677

Group attributional training as an effective approach to human resource development under team work systems.

PubMed

Wang, Z M

1994-07-01

An experimental programme of group attributional training under team work system was conducted as part of human resource development in Chinese industrial enterprises. One hundred and ten shopfloor employees participated in the study. Among them, 58 employees took part in the factorial-designed experiment to find out the effects of attributions on performance, and 52 employees of ten work groups participated in the group attributional training programme twice a week for two months. The results showed that the group attributional training was effective in modifying employees' attributional patterns and enhancing group performance and satisfaction. On the basis of the results, an attributional model of work motivation is proposed, and its theoretical and practical implications for human resource management discussed.

The neural bases of the effects of item-nonspecific proactive interference in working memory

PubMed Central

POSTLE, BRADLEY R.; BRUSH, LAUREN N.

2005-01-01

We reanalyzed the behavioral and fMRI data from seven previously published studies of working memory in order to assess the behavioral and neural effects of item-nonspecific proactive interference (PI; attributable to the accrual of antecedent information independent of the repetition of particular items). We hypothesized that item-nonspecific PI, implicated in age-related declines in working memory performance, is mediated by the same mechanism(s) that mediate item-specific PI (occurring when an invalid memory probe matches a memorandum from the previous trial). Reaction time increased across trials as a function of position within the block, a trend that reversed across the duration of each multiblock experiment. The fMRI analyses revealed sensitivity to item-nonspecific PI during the probe epoch in the left anterior inferior frontal gyrus and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC). They also revealed a negative trend, across trials, in the transient probe-evoked component of the global signal. A common PFC-based mechanism may mediate many forms of PI. PMID:15535173

The neural bases of the effects of item-nonspecific proactive interference in working memory.

PubMed

Postle, Bradley R; Brush, Lauren N

2004-09-01

We reanalyzed the behavioral and fMRI data from seven previously published studies of working memory in order to assess the behavioral and neural effects of item-nonspecific proactive interference (PI; attributable to the accrual of antecedent information independent of the repetition of particular items). We hypothesized that item-nonspecific PI, implicated in age-related declines in working memory performance, is mediated by the same mechanism(s) that mediate item-specific PI (occurring when an invalid memory probe matches a memorandum from the previous trial). Reaction time increased across trials as a function of position within the block, a trend that reversed across the duration of each multiblock experiment. The fMRI analyses revealed sensitivity to item-nonspecific PI during the probe epoch in the left anterior inferior frontal gyrus and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(PFC). They also revealed a negative trend, across trials, in the transient probe-evoked component of the global signal. A common PFC-based mechanism may mediate many forms of PI.

Treatment preferences of patients and physicians: influences of summary data when framing effects are controlled.

PubMed

Mazur, D J; Hickam, D H

1990-01-01

The presentation of efficacy data influences preferences for treatment options. To determine how the amount of data provided to patients influenced patient decision making after framing and labeling effects were controlled, patients and physicians were presented results of two alternative treatments for an unidentified serious medical condition, derived from summary data of lung cancer treatment after surgery (better long-term survival) or radiation therapy (better short-term survival). These data are the same as used in previous studies of framing. When summary data at one month, one year, and five years were presented in terms of both survival and mortality, patients preferred the option that would be expected if only mortality data had been presented. When more detailed data were presented (data at six discrete time points), both patients and physicians preferred the option associated with a survival frame influence in previous studies. Thus, once framing influences are controlled, preference changes can be influenced by another attribute of summary data: the amount of data presented.

Regulation of Cortical Dynamic Range by Background Synaptic Noise and Feedforward Inhibition

PubMed Central

Khubieh, Ayah; Ratté, Stéphanie; Lankarany, Milad; Prescott, Steven A.

2016-01-01

The cortex encodes a broad range of inputs. This breadth of operation requires sensitivity to weak inputs yet non-saturating responses to strong inputs. If individual pyramidal neurons were to have a narrow dynamic range, as previously claimed, then staggered all-or-none recruitment of those neurons would be necessary for the population to achieve a broad dynamic range. Contrary to this explanation, we show here through dynamic clamp experiments in vitro and computer simulations that pyramidal neurons have a broad dynamic range under the noisy conditions that exist in the intact brain due to background synaptic input. Feedforward inhibition capitalizes on those noise effects to control neuronal gain and thereby regulates the population dynamic range. Importantly, noise allows neurons to be recruited gradually and occludes the staggered recruitment previously attributed to heterogeneous excitation. Feedforward inhibition protects spike timing against the disruptive effects of noise, meaning noise can enable the gain control required for rate coding without compromising the precise spike timing required for temporal coding. PMID:26209846

A human recombinant monoclonal antibody to cocaine: Preparation, characterization and behavioral studies

PubMed Central

Eubanks, Lisa M.; Ellis, Beverly A.; Cai, Xiaoqing; Schlosburg, Joel E.; Janda, Kim D.

2014-01-01

Cocaine abuse remains prevalent worldwide and continues to be a major health concern; nonetheless, there is no effective therapy. Immunopharmacothery has emerged as a promising treatment strategy by which anti-cocaine antibodies bind to the drug blunting its effects. Previous passive immunization studies using our human monoclonal antibody, GNCgzk, resulted in protection against cocaine overdose and acute toxicity. To further realize the clinical potential of this antibody, a recombinant IgG form of the antibody has been produced in mammalian cells. This antibody displayed a high binding affinity for cocaine (low nanomolar) in line with the superior attributes of the GNCgzk antibody and reduced cocaine-induced ataxia in a cocaine overdose model. PMID:25205191

Uterine leiomyomata and fecundability in the Right from the Start study.

PubMed

Johnson, Gayle; MacLehose, Richard F; Baird, Donna D; Laughlin-Tommaso, Shannon K; Hartmann, Katherine E

2012-10-01

Previous research suggests the removal of uterine leiomyomata may improve ability to conceive. Most of this previous research was conducted in infertility clinics. We investigated the association between leiomyoma characteristics on time to pregnancy among women enrolled from the general population. We enrolled a cohort study of women in early pregnancy. Participants retrospectively reported their time to conception. Leiomyomata characteristics were determined by first-trimester ultrasound. We used discrete time hazard models to estimate the effects of uterine leiomyomata on time to pregnancy. In this population of 3000 women, 11% (324) with one or more leiomyomata, we found no association between leiomyomata presence, type, location, segment or size on time to pregnancy. These results suggest that leiomyomata have little effect on time to pregnancy in this cohort of women. The study excluded women who had been treated for infertility, and this may have resulted in underestimation of the association. However, differences between our study and previous studies in specialty clinics may be, in part, attributable to differences between our community-recruited population of women and women receiving fertility care, as well as difference in leiomyomata size or type in women having myomectomies to treat infertility.

Qualitative Development of a Discrete Choice Experiment for Physical Activity Interventions to Improve Knee Osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Pinto, Daniel; Danilovich, Margaret K; Hansen, Paul; Finn, Daniel J; Chang, Rowland W; Holl, Jane L; Heinemann, Allen W; Bockenholt, Ulf

2017-06-01

To describe the qualitative process used to develop attributes and attribute levels for inclusion in a discrete choice experiments (DCE) for older adult physical activity interventions. Five focus groups (n=41) were conducted, grounded in the Health Action Process Approach framework. Discussion emphasized identification and prioritization attributes for a DCE on physical activity. Semi-structured interviews (n=6) investigated attribute levels and lay-language for the DCE. A focus group with physical activity researchers and health care providers was the final stakeholder group used to establish a comprehensive approach for the generation of attributes and levels. A DCE pilot test (n=8) was then conducted with individuals of the target patient population. All transcripts were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. General community and university-based research setting. Volunteers (N=55) aged >45 years with knee pain, aches, or stiffness for at least 1 month over the previous 12 months. Not applicable. Interview guides, attributes, attribute levels, and discrete choice experiment. The most influential identified attributes for physical activity were time, effort, cost, convenience, enjoyment, and health benefits. Each attribute had 3 levels that were understandable in the pilot test of the DCE. The identification of 6 physical activity attributes that are most salient to adults with knee osteoarthritis resulted from a systematic qualitative process, including attribute-ranking exercises. A DCE will provide insight into the relative importance of these attributes for participating in physical activity, which can guide intervention development. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling first impressions from highly variable facial images.

PubMed

Vernon, Richard J W; Sutherland, Clare A M; Young, Andrew W; Hartley, Tom

2014-08-12

First impressions of social traits, such as trustworthiness or dominance, are reliably perceived in faces, and despite their questionable validity they can have considerable real-world consequences. We sought to uncover the information driving such judgments, using an attribute-based approach. Attributes (physical facial features) were objectively measured from feature positions and colors in a database of highly variable "ambient" face photographs, and then used as input for a neural network to model factor dimensions (approachability, youthful-attractiveness, and dominance) thought to underlie social attributions. A linear model based on this approach was able to account for 58% of the variance in raters' impressions of previously unseen faces, and factor-attribute correlations could be used to rank attributes by their importance to each factor. Reversing this process, neural networks were then used to predict facial attributes and corresponding image properties from specific combinations of factor scores. In this way, the factors driving social trait impressions could be visualized as a series of computer-generated cartoon face-like images, depicting how attributes change along each dimension. This study shows that despite enormous variation in ambient images of faces, a substantial proportion of the variance in first impressions can be accounted for through linear changes in objectively defined features.

Undernutrition as an underlying cause of child deaths associated with diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, and measles.

PubMed

Caulfield, Laura E; de Onis, Mercedes; Blössner, Monika; Black, Robert E

2004-07-01

Previous analyses derived the relative risk (RR) of dying as a result of low weight-for-age and calculated the proportion of child deaths worldwide attributable to underweight. The objectives were to examine whether the risk of dying because of underweight varies by cause of death and to estimate the fraction of deaths by cause attributable to underweight. Data were obtained from investigators of 10 cohort studies with both weight-for-age category (<-3 SDs, -3 to <-2 SDs, -2 to <-1 SD, and >-1 SD) and cause of death information. All 10 studies contributed information on weight-for-age and risk of diarrhea, pneumonia, and all-cause mortality; however, only 6 studies contributed information on deaths because of measles, and only 3 studies contributed information on deaths because of malaria or fever. With use of weighted random effects models, we related the log mortality rate by cause and anthropometric status in each study to derive cause-specific RRs of dying because of undernutrition. Prevalences of each weight-for-age category were obtained from analyses of 310 national nutrition surveys. With use of the RR and prevalence information, we then calculated the fraction of deaths by cause attributable to undernutrition. The RR of mortality because of low weight-for-age was elevated for each cause of death and for all-cause mortality. Overall, 52.5% of all deaths in young children were attributable to undernutrition, varying from 44.8% for deaths because of measles to 60.7% for deaths because of diarrhea. A significant proportion of deaths in young children worldwide is attributable to low weight-for-age, and efforts to reduce malnutrition should be a policy priority.

Attributional style in a case of Cotard delusion.

PubMed

McKay, Ryan; Cipolotti, Lisa

2007-06-01

Young and colleagues (e.g. Young, A. W., & Leafhead, K. M. (1996). Betwixt life and death: case studies of the Cotard delusion. In P. W. Halligan & J. C. Marshall (Eds.), Method in madness: Case studies in cognitive neuropsychiatry. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.) have suggested that cases of the Cotard delusion (the belief that one is dead) result when a particular perceptual anomaly (caused by a disruption to the affective component of visual recognition) occurs in the context of an internalising attributional style. This hypothesis has not previously been tested directly. We report here an investigation of attributional style in a 24-year-old woman with Cotard delusion ("LU"). LU's attributional style (and that of ten healthy control participants) was assessed using the Internal, Personal and Situational Attributions Questionnaire (Kinderman, P., & Bentall, R. P. (1996). A new measure of causal locus: the internal, personal and situational attributions questionnaire. Personality and Individual Differences, 20(2), 261-264.). LU showed a significantly greater proportion of internalising attributions than the control group, both overall and for negative events specifically. The results obtained thus support an association of Cotard delusion with an internalising attributional style, and are therefore consistent with the account of Young and colleagues. The potential brain basis of Cotard delusion is discussed.

Appetite-enhancing effects of vanilla flavours such as vanillin.

PubMed

Ogawa, Kakuyou; Tashima, Akira; Sadakata, Momoko; Morinaga, Osamu

2018-06-01

Vanilla flavour is familiar to consumers through foods, cosmetics, household products and some medicines. Vanilla flavouring agents typically contain vanillin or its analogue ethyl vanillin. Our previous study revealed that the inhalation of eugenol, which contains a vanillyl group, has an appetite-enhancing effect, and the inhalation of aroma compounds containing the vanillyl group or its analogues led to increased food intake in mice. Here, we found that vanillin, ethyl vanillin and eugenol showed appetite-enhancing effects, whereas isoeugenol and safrole did not. These results suggest that the appetite-enhancing effects could be attributable to the vanillyl group and could be affected by the position of the double bond in the aliphatic chain. Furthermore, the results of intraperitoneal administration of eugenol and vanillin suggest that their appetite-enhancing effects could occur via stimulation of olfactory receptors.

Nantenine alkaloid presents anticonvulsant effect on two classical animal models.

PubMed

Ribeiro, R A; Leite, J R

2003-01-01

The present study investigated the anticonvulsant and convulsant profiles of nantenine, an aporphine alkaloid found in several vegetal species. At lower doses (20-50 mg/kg, i.p.) the alkaloid proved to be effective in inhibiting pentylenotetrazol- (PTZ 100 mg/kg, s.c.) and maximal electroshock-induced seizures (80 mA, 50 pulses/s, 0.2 s), suggesting its potential as an anticonvulsant drug. However, at higher doses (> or = 75 mg/kg, i.p.) a convulsant activity was observed. Comparing the present in vivo nantenine effects on seizures with previous in vitro biphasic action on Na+, K+-ATPase activity, the convulsant effect appears to be related to inhibition of these phosphatase at high doses whereas anticonvulsant effect, observed at low doses, seems attributable to its stimulation and the resultant decrease of Ca2+-influx into the cell.

Least Squares Distance Method of Cognitive Validation and Analysis for Binary Items Using Their Item Response Theory Parameters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dimitrov, Dimiter M.

2007-01-01

The validation of cognitive attributes required for correct answers on binary test items or tasks has been addressed in previous research through the integration of cognitive psychology and psychometric models using parametric or nonparametric item response theory, latent class modeling, and Bayesian modeling. All previous models, each with their…

Outbreaks attributed to pork in the United States, 1998-2015.

PubMed

Self, J L; Luna-Gierke, R E; Fothergill, A; Holt, K G; Vieira, A R

2017-10-01

Each year in the United States, an estimated 525 000 infections, 2900 hospitalizations, and 82 deaths are attributed to consumption of pork. We analyzed the epidemiology of outbreaks attributed to pork in the United States reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1998-2015. During that period, 288 outbreaks were attributed to pork, resulting in 6372 illnesses, 443 hospitalizations, and four deaths. The frequency of outbreaks attributed to pork decreased by 37% during this period, consistent with a decline in total foodborne outbreaks. However, outbreaks attributed to pork increased by 73% in 2015 (19 outbreaks) compared with the previous 3 years (average of 11 outbreaks per year), without a similar increase in total foodborne outbreaks. Most (>99%) of these outbreaks occurred among people exposed in the same state. The most frequent etiology shifted from Staphylococcus aureus toxin during 1998-2001 (19%) to Salmonella during 2012-2015 (46%). Outbreaks associated with ham decreased from eight outbreaks per year during 1998-2001, to one per year during 2012-2015 (P < 0·01). Additional efforts are necessary to reduce outbreaks and sporadic illnesses associated with pork products.

Variational Bayesian Inversion of Quasi-Localized Seismic Attributes for the Spatial Distribution of Geological Facies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nawaz, Muhammad Atif; Curtis, Andrew

2018-04-01

We introduce a new Bayesian inversion method that estimates the spatial distribution of geological facies from attributes of seismic data, by showing how the usual probabilistic inverse problem can be solved using an optimization framework still providing full probabilistic results. Our mathematical model consists of seismic attributes as observed data, which are assumed to have been generated by the geological facies. The method infers the post-inversion (posterior) probability density of the facies plus some other unknown model parameters, from the seismic attributes and geological prior information. Most previous research in this domain is based on the localized likelihoods assumption, whereby the seismic attributes at a location are assumed to depend on the facies only at that location. Such an assumption is unrealistic because of imperfect seismic data acquisition and processing, and fundamental limitations of seismic imaging methods. In this paper, we relax this assumption: we allow probabilistic dependence between seismic attributes at a location and the facies in any neighbourhood of that location through a spatial filter. We term such likelihoods quasi-localized.

Feed intake, growth, and body and carcass attributes of feedlot steers supplemented with two levels of calcium nitrate or urea.

PubMed

Hegarty, R S; Miller, J; Oelbrandt, N; Li, L; Luijben, J P M; Robinson, D L; Nolan, J V; Perdok, H B

2016-12-01

Nitrate supplementation has been shown to be effective in reducing enteric methane emission from ruminants, but there have been few large-scale studies assessing the effects of level of nitrate supplementation on feed intake, animal growth, or carcass and meat quality attributes of beef cattle. A feedlot study was conducted to assess the effects of supplementing 0.25 or 0.45% NPN in dietary DM as either urea (Ur) or calcium nitrate (CaN) on DMI, ADG, G:F, and carcass attributes of feedlot steers ( = 383). The levels of NPN inclusion were selected as those at which nitrate has previously achieved measurable mitigation of enteric methane. The higher level of NPN inclusion reduced ADG as did replacement of Ur with CaN ( < 0.01). A combined analysis of DMI for 139 steers with individual animal intake data and pen-average intakes for 244 bunk-fed steers showed a significant interaction between NPN source and level ( = 0.02) with steers on the high-CaN diet eating less than those on the other 3 diets ( < 0.001). Neither level nor NPN source significantly affected cattle G:F. There was a tendency ( = 0.05) for nitrate-supplemented cattle to have a slower rate of eating (g DMI/min) than Ur-supplemented cattle. When adjusted for BW, neither NPN source nor inclusion level affected cross-sectional area of the LM or fatness measured on the live animal. Similarly, there were no significant main effects of treatments on dressing percentage or fat depth or muscling attributes of the carcass after adjustment for HCW ( > 0.05). Analysis of composited meat samples showed no detectable nitrates or nitrosamines in raw or cooked meat, and the level of nitrate detected in meat from nitrate-supplemented cattle was no higher than for Ur-fed cattle ( > 0.05). We conclude that increasing NPN inclusion from 0.25 to 0.45% NPN in dietary DM and replacing Ur with CaN decreased ADG in feedlot cattle without improving G:F.

An Empirical Comparison of Discrete Choice Experiment and Best-Worst Scaling to Estimate Stakeholders' Risk Tolerance for Hip Replacement Surgery.

PubMed

van Dijk, Joris D; Groothuis-Oudshoorn, Catharina G M; Marshall, Deborah A; IJzerman, Maarten J

2016-06-01

Previous studies have been inconclusive regarding the validity and reliability of preference elicitation methods. The aim of this study was to compare the metrics obtained from a discrete choice experiment (DCE) and profile-case best-worst scaling (BWS) with respect to hip replacement. We surveyed the general US population of men aged 45 to 65 years, and potentially eligible for hip replacement surgery. The survey included sociodemographic questions, eight DCE questions, and twelve BWS questions. Attributes were the probability of a first and second revision, pain relief, ability to participate in sports and perform daily activities, and length of hospital stay. Conditional logit analysis was used to estimate attribute weights, level preferences, and the maximum acceptable risk (MAR) for undergoing revision surgery in six hypothetical treatment scenarios with different attribute levels. A total of 429 (96%) respondents were included. Comparable attribute weights and level preferences were found for both BWS and DCE. Preferences were greatest for hip replacement surgery with high pain relief and the ability to participate in sports and perform daily activities. Although the estimated MARs for revision surgery followed the same trend, the MARs were systematically higher in five of the six scenarios using DCE. This study confirms previous findings that BWS or DCEs are comparable in estimating attribute weights and level preferences. However, the risk tolerance threshold based on the estimation of MAR differs between these methods, possibly leading to inconsistency in comparing treatment scenarios. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring Genetic Attributions Underlying Radiotherapy-Induced Fatigue in Prostate Cancer Patients.

PubMed

Hashemi, Sepehr; Fernandez Martinez, Juan Luis; Saligan, Leorey; Sonis, Stephen

2017-09-01

Despite numerous proposed mechanisms, no definitive pathophysiology underlying radiotherapy-induced fatigue (RIF) has been established. However, the dysregulation of a set of 35 genes was recently validated to predict development of fatigue in prostate cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. To hypothesize novel pathways, and provide genetic targets for currently proposed pathways implicated in RIF development through analysis of the previously validated gene set. The gene set was analyzed for all phenotypic attributions implicated in the phenotype of fatigue. Initially, a "directed" approach was used by querying specific fatigue-related sub-phenotypes against all known phenotypic attributions of the gene set. Then, an "undirected" approach, reviewing the entirety of the literature referencing the 35 genes, was used to increase analysis sensitivity. The dysregulated genes attribute to neural, immunological, mitochondrial, muscular, and metabolic pathways. In addition, certain genes suggest phenotypes not previously emphasized in the context of RIF, such as ionizing radiation sensitivity, DNA damage, and altered DNA repair frequency. Several genes also associated with prostate cancer depression, possibly emphasizing variable radiosensitivity by RIF-prone patients, which may have palliative care implications. Despite the relevant findings, many of the 35 RIF-predictive genes are poorly characterized, warranting their investigation. The implications of herein presented RIF pathways are purely theoretical until specific end-point driven experiments are conducted in more congruent contexts. Nevertheless, the presented attributions are informative, directing future investigation to definitively elucidate RIF's pathoetiology. This study demonstrates an arguably comprehensive method of approaching known differential expression underlying a complex phenotype, to correlate feasible pathophysiology. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. All rights reserved.

Emergence of heat extremes attributable to anthropogenic influences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Andrew D.; Black, Mitchell T.; Min, Seung-Ki; Fischer, Erich M.; Mitchell, Daniel M.; Harrington, Luke J.; Perkins-Kirkpatrick, Sarah E.

2016-04-01

Climate scientists have demonstrated that a substantial fraction of the probability of numerous recent extreme events may be attributed to human-induced climate change. However, it is likely that for temperature extremes occurring over previous decades a fraction of their probability was attributable to anthropogenic influences. We identify the first record-breaking warm summers and years for which a discernible contribution can be attributed to human influence. We find a significant human contribution to the probability of record-breaking global temperature events as early as the 1930s. Since then, all the last 16 record-breaking hot years globally had an anthropogenic contribution to their probability of occurrence. Aerosol-induced cooling delays the timing of a significant human contribution to record-breaking events in some regions. Without human-induced climate change recent hot summers and years would be very unlikely to have occurred.

Consolidation of an extinction memory depends on the unconditioned stimulus magnitude previously experienced during training.

PubMed

Stollhoff, Nicola; Eisenhardt, Dorothea

2009-07-29

Here, we examine the role of the magnitude of the unconditioned stimulus (US) during classical conditioning in consolidation processes after memory retrieval. We varied the US durations during training and we test the impact of these variations on consolidation after memory retrieval with one or two conditioned stimulus-only trials. We found that the consolidation of an extinction memory depends on US duration during training and ruled out the possibility that this effect is attributable to differences in satiation after conditioning. We conclude that consolidation of an extinction memory is triggered only when the duration of the US reaches a critical threshold. This demonstrates that memory consolidation cannot be regarded as an isolated process depending solely on training conditions. Instead, it depends on the animal's previous experience as well.

Attribution-Based Nocebo Effects. Perceived Effects of a Placebo Pill and a Sham Magnetic Field on Cognitive Performance and Somatic Symptoms.

PubMed

Szemerszky, Renáta; Dömötör, Zsuzsanna; Berkes, Tímea; Köteles, Ferenc

2016-04-01

Negative non-specific (nocebo-like) effects of medications and electromagnetic fields are often described as results of mistaken attribution. The current study aimed to find empirical evidence supporting this theory. Participants completed questionnaires assessing modern health worries, health anxiety, and somatosensory amplification, were assigned to one of three conditions (placebo pill with sedative information, sham magnetic field, or control), and completed a 14-min vigilance task. Changes in physiological arousal (heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin conductance) and reported symptoms were also measured. Finally, causal attributions concerning cognitive performance and reported symptoms were assessed. No increase in symptom reports and physiological arousal was measured in the two intervention groups. A perceived negative effect on cognitive performance was attributed to both sham conditions, and attributions were connected to modern health worries. A proportion of reported symptoms was ascribed to the placebo pill but not to the sham magnetic field. Symptom attributions were not related to any assessed psychological variables. An aroused physiological state is not necessary for the automatic causal attribution process. Negative effects attributed to medication and environmental factors can be regarded as unavoidable side effects of human cognitive-emotional functioning; they might be alleviated, but cannot be completely eradicated.

When does reading dirty words impede picture processing? Taboo interference with verbal and manual responses.

PubMed

Mädebach, Andreas; Markuske, Anna-Maria; Jescheniak, Jörg D

2018-05-22

Picture naming takes longer in the presence of socially inappropriate (taboo) distractor words compared with neutral distractor words. Previous studies have attributed this taboo interference effect to increased attentional capture by taboo words or verbal self-monitoring-that is, control processes scrutinizing verbal responses before articulation. In this study, we investigated the cause and locus of the taboo interference effect by contrasting three tasks that used the same target pictures, but systematically differed with respect to the processing stages involved: picture naming (requiring conceptual processing, lexical processing, and articulation), phoneme decision (requiring conceptual and lexical processing), and natural size decision (requiring conceptual processing only). We observed taboo interference in picture naming and phoneme decision. In size decision, taboo interference was not reliably observed under the same task conditions in which the effect arose in picture naming and phoneme decision, but it emerged when the difficulty of the size decision task was increased by visually degrading the target pictures. Overall, these results suggest that taboo interference cannot be exclusively attributed to verbal self-monitoring operating over articulatory responses. Instead, taboo interference appears to arise already prior to articulatory preparation, during lexical processing and-at least with sufficiently high task difficulty-during prelexical processing stages.

The role of gist and verbatim memory in complex decision making: Explaining the unconscious-thought effect.

PubMed

Abadie, Marlène; Waroquier, Laurent; Terrier, Patrice

2017-05-01

Previous research showed that the unconscious-thought effect , which refers to an improvement in complex decision making following a distraction period, was moderated by the presentation format of pieces of information about different options. The aim of the current study was to replicate this finding and further examine the memory representations underlying decision making following a distraction or a deliberation period. Results showed that, when the information was presented blocked per option, participants were better able to differentiate the best option from the others after a distraction period than immediately after the information presentation or after a deliberation period. In addition, distracted participants retrieved more gist representations of the options when the information was presented per option. By contrast, participants were better able to differentiate the best option from the others after a deliberation period when the information was presented per attribute. Participants who deliberated also retrieved more verbatim representations when the information was presented per attribute. Finally, mediation analyses indicated that the accuracy of the evaluations of the options depends on gist memory when distracted but on verbatim memory when deliberating. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of distraction or deliberation depends on the memory representations of the different options. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Probing the Unique Role of Gallium in Amorphous Oxide Semiconductors through Structure-Property Relationships

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moffitt, Stephanie L.; Zhu, Qimin; Ma, Qing

This study explores the unique role of Ga in amorphous (a-) In[BOND]Ga[BOND]O oxide semiconductors through combined theory and experiment. It reveals substitutional effects that have not previously been attributed to Ga, and that are investigated by examining how Ga influences structure–property relationships in a series of pulsed laser deposited a-In[BOND]Ga[BOND]O thin films. Element-specific structural studies (X-ray absorption and anomalous scattering) show good agreement with the results of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. This structural knowledge is used to understand the results of air-annealing and Hall effect electrical measurements. The crystallization temperature of a-IO is shown to increase by as muchmore » as 325 °C on substituting Ga for In. This increased thermal stability is understood on the basis of the large changes in local structure that Ga undergoes, as compared to In, during crystallization. Hall measurements reveal an initial sharp drop in both carrier concentration and mobility with increasing Ga incorporation, which moderates at >20 at% Ga content. This decline in both the carrier concentration and mobility with increasing Ga is attributed to dilution of the charge-carrying In[BOND]O matrix and to increased structural disorder. The latter effect saturates at high at% Ga.« less

How Places Shape Identity: The Origins of Distinctive LBQ Identities in Four Small U.S. Cities.

PubMed

Brown-Saracino, Japonica

2015-07-01

Tools from the study of neighborhood effects, place distinction, and regional identity are employed in an ethnography of four small cities with growing populations of lesbian, bisexual, and queer-identified (LBQ) women to explain why orientations to sexual identity are relatively constant within each site, despite informants' within-city demographic heterogeneity, but vary substantially across the sites, despite common place-based attributes. The author introduces the concept of "sexual identity cultures"--and reveals the defining role of cities in shaping their contours. She finds that LBQ numbers and acceptance, place narratives, and newcomers' encounters with local social attributes serve as touchstones. The article looks beyond major categorical differences (e.g., urban/rural) to understand how and why identities evolve and vary and to reveal the fundamental interplay of demographic, cultural, and other city features previously thought isolatable. The findings challenge notions of identity as fixed and emphasize the degree to which self-understanding and group understanding remain collective accomplishments.

The perceived and predicted implications of psychiatric genetic knowledge among persons with multiple cases of depression in the family.

PubMed

Laegsgaard, M M; Stamp, A S; Hall, E O C; Mors, O

2010-12-01

Psychiatric genetic research raises hope regarding better treatment and prevention, but also regarding a possible de-stigmatizing effect of attributing mental illness to genetics. This study explores i) the impact on family relations of participating in a genetic study; ii) the impact of biogenetic attributions on perceptions of depression and stigma and iii) the perceived benefits and concerns regarding psychiatric genetic testing. Focus groups were conducted with 17 participants suffering from depression, with multiple cases of depression in the family, and previously participating in a genetic study. Participating in a genetic study caused more openness about depression in most families. A biogenetic explanation of depression was perceived as having the potential of diminishing self stigma. Testing of self and children was widely accepted, whereas prenatal testing raised concern. Persons suffering from depression may benefit from endorsing a biogenetic explanation, especially in relation to self-understanding and self-stigma. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Solvent Extraction of Chemical Attribution Signature Compounds from Painted Wall Board: Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wahl, Jon H.; Colburn, Heather A.

2009-10-29

This report summarizes work that developed a robust solvent extraction procedure for recovery of chemical attribution signature (CAS) compound dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP) (as well as diethyl methyl phosphonate (DEMP), diethyl methyl phosphonothioate (DEMPT), and diisopropyl methyl phosphonate (DIMP)) from painted wall board (PWB), which was selected previously as the exposed media by the chemical attribution scientific working group (CASWG). An accelerated solvent extraction approach was examined to determine the most effective method of extraction from PWB. Three different solvent systems were examined, which varied in solvent strength and polarity (i.e., 1:1 dichloromethane : acetone,100% methanol, and 1% isopropanol inmore » pentane) with a 1:1 methylene chloride : acetone mixture having the most robust and consistent extraction for four original target organophosphorus compounds. The optimum extraction solvent was determined based on the extraction efficiency of the target analytes from spiked painted wallboard as determined by gas chromatography x gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCxGC-MS) analysis of the extract. An average extraction efficiency of approximately 60% was obtained for these four compounds. The extraction approach was further demonstrated by extracting and detecting the chemical impurities present in neat DMMP that was vapor-deposited onto painted wallboard tickets.« less

Life history and spatial traits predict extinction risk due to climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, Richard G.; Stanton, Jessica C.; Shoemaker, Kevin T.; Aiello-Lammens, Matthew E.; Ersts, Peter J.; Horning, Ned; Fordham, Damien A.; Raxworthy, Christopher J.; Ryu, Hae Yeong; McNees, Jason; Akçakaya, H. Reşit

2014-03-01

There is an urgent need to develop effective vulnerability assessments for evaluating the conservation status of species in a changing climate. Several new assessment approaches have been proposed for evaluating the vulnerability of species to climate change based on the expectation that established assessments such as the IUCN Red List need revising or superseding in light of the threat that climate change brings. However, although previous studies have identified ecological and life history attributes that characterize declining species or those listed as threatened, no study so far has undertaken a quantitative analysis of the attributes that cause species to be at high risk of extinction specifically due to climate change. We developed a simulation approach based on generic life history types to show here that extinction risk due to climate change can be predicted using a mixture of spatial and demographic variables that can be measured in the present day without the need for complex forecasting models. Most of the variables we found to be important for predicting extinction risk, including occupied area and population size, are already used in species conservation assessments, indicating that present systems may be better able to identify species vulnerable to climate change than previously thought. Therefore, although climate change brings many new conservation challenges, we find that it may not be fundamentally different from other threats in terms of assessing extinction risks.

Participation in Team Sports Can Eliminate the Effect of Social Loafing.

PubMed

Czyż, Stanisław H; Szmajke, Andrzej; Kruger, Ankebé; Kübler, Magdalena

2016-12-01

The effect known as Ringelmann effect states that as group size increases, individual behavior may be less productive. If this decrease in productivity in groups is attributed to a decrement in individual motivation, it is called social loafing. We tested hypotheses that the collectivism associated with participation in team sports would reduce the level of social loafing compared to people who were not involved in team sports. In one experiment, participants (n = 72; M age = 21.7 years, SD = 2.0) had to pull a rope individually and collectively. Groups of two, three, four, and six persons were formed from among individuals with no previous sports experience, and of those who had engaged in individual and team sports. For each team, the sum of individual achievements of the individuals constituting a team was computed. This sum served as the anticipated result (expected value). The expected values were later compared to the actual achievements, i.e., the value achieved by the whole team. The results of the study suggested that previous experience in collective (team) sports eliminated the effect of social loafing. © The Author(s) 2016.

Adaptive nodes enrich nonlinear cooperative learning beyond traditional adaptation by links.

PubMed

Sardi, Shira; Vardi, Roni; Goldental, Amir; Sheinin, Anton; Uzan, Herut; Kanter, Ido

2018-03-23

Physical models typically assume time-independent interactions, whereas neural networks and machine learning incorporate interactions that function as adjustable parameters. Here we demonstrate a new type of abundant cooperative nonlinear dynamics where learning is attributed solely to the nodes, instead of the network links which their number is significantly larger. The nodal, neuronal, fast adaptation follows its relative anisotropic (dendritic) input timings, as indicated experimentally, similarly to the slow learning mechanism currently attributed to the links, synapses. It represents a non-local learning rule, where effectively many incoming links to a node concurrently undergo the same adaptation. The network dynamics is now counterintuitively governed by the weak links, which previously were assumed to be insignificant. This cooperative nonlinear dynamic adaptation presents a self-controlled mechanism to prevent divergence or vanishing of the learning parameters, as opposed to learning by links, and also supports self-oscillations of the effective learning parameters. It hints on a hierarchical computational complexity of nodes, following their number of anisotropic inputs and opens new horizons for advanced deep learning algorithms and artificial intelligence based applications, as well as a new mechanism for enhanced and fast learning by neural networks.

Russia SimSmoke: the long-term effects of tobacco control policies on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths in Russia

PubMed Central

Maslennikova, Galina Ya; Oganov, Rafael G; Boytsov, Sergey A; Ross, Hana; Huang, An-Tsun; Near, Aimee; Kotov, Alexey; Berezhnova, Irina; Levy, David T

2015-01-01

Background Russia has high smoking rates and weak tobacco control policies. A simulation model is used to examine the effect of tobacco control policies on past and future smoking prevalence and premature mortality in Russia. Methods The Russia model was developed using the SimSmoke tobacco control model previously developed for the USA and other nations. The model inputs population size, birth, death and smoking rates specific to Russia. It assesses, individually and in combination, the effect of seven types of policies consistent with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC): taxes, smoke-free air, mass media campaign, advertising bans, warning labels, cessation treatment and youth access policies. Outcomes are smoking prevalence and the number of smoking-attributable deaths by age and gender from 2009 to 2055. Results Increasing cigarette taxes to 70% of retail price, stronger smoke-free air laws, a high-intensity media campaign and comprehensive treatment policies are each potent policies to reduce smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable premature deaths in Russia. With the stronger set of policies, the model estimates that, relative to the status quo trend, smoking prevalence can be reduced by as much as 30% by 2020, with a 50% reduction projected by 2055. This translates into 2 684 994 male and 1 011 985 female premature deaths averted from 2015–2055. Conclusions SimSmoke results highlight the relative contribution of policies to reducing the tobacco health burden in Russia. Significant inroads to reducing smoking prevalence and premature mortality can be achieved through strengthening tobacco control policies in line with FCTC recommendations. PMID:23853252

Russia SimSmoke: the long-term effects of tobacco control policies on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths in Russia.

PubMed

Maslennikova, Galina Ya; Oganov, Rafael G; Boytsov, Sergey A; Ross, Hana; Huang, An-Tsun; Near, Aimee; Kotov, Alexey; Berezhnova, Irina; Levy, David T

2014-11-01

Russia has high smoking rates and weak tobacco control policies. A simulation model is used to examine the effect of tobacco control policies on past and future smoking prevalence and premature mortality in Russia. The Russia model was developed using the SimSmoke tobacco control model previously developed for the USA and other nations. The model inputs population size, birth, death and smoking rates specific to Russia. It assesses, individually and in combination, the effect of seven types of policies consistent with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC): taxes, smoke-free air, mass media campaign, advertising bans, warning labels, cessation treatment and youth access policies. Outcomes are smoking prevalence and the number of smoking-attributable deaths by age and gender from 2009 to 2055. Increasing cigarette taxes to 70% of retail price, stronger smoke-free air laws, a high-intensity media campaign and comprehensive treatment policies are each potent policies to reduce smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable premature deaths in Russia. With the stronger set of policies, the model estimates that, relative to the status quo trend, smoking prevalence can be reduced by as much as 30% by 2020, with a 50% reduction projected by 2055. This translates into 2 684 994 male and 1 011 985 female premature deaths averted from 2015-2055. SimSmoke results highlight the relative contribution of policies to reducing the tobacco health burden in Russia. Significant inroads to reducing smoking prevalence and premature mortality can be achieved through strengthening tobacco control policies in line with FCTC recommendations. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Aggressive and prosocial children's emotion attributions and moral reasoning.

PubMed

Malti, Tina; Gasser, Luciano; Buchmann, Marlis

2009-01-01

Aggressive and prosocial children's emotion attributions and moral reasoning were investigated. Participants were 235 kindergarten children (M=6.2 years) and 136 elementary-school children (M=7.6 years) who were selected as aggressive or prosocial based on (kindergarten) teacher ratings. The children were asked to evaluate hypothetical rule violations, attribute emotions they would feel in the role of the victimizer, and justify their responses. Compared with younger prosocial children, younger aggressive children attributed fewer negative emotions and were more likely to provide sanction-oriented justifications when evaluating rule violations negatively. Furthermore, age-, gender- and context-effects in moral development occurred. The context-effects included both effects of transgression type (i.e., prosocial morality vs. fairness) on emotion attributions and moral reasoning and the effects of the context of moral evaluation and emotion attribution on moral reasoning. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of emotion attributions and moral reasoning as antecedents of children's aggressive and prosocial behavior. Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Revisiting the picture-superiority effect in symbolic comparisons: do pictures provide privileged access?

PubMed

Amrhein, Paul C; McDaniel, Mark A; Waddill, Paula

2002-09-01

In 4 experiments, symbolic comparisons were investigated to test semantic-memory retrieval accounts espousing processing advantages for picture over word stimuli. In Experiment 1, participants judged pairs of animal names or pictures by responding to questions probing concrete or abstract attributes (texture or size, ferocity or intelligence). Per pair, attributes were salient or nonsalient concerning their prerated relevance to animals being compared. Distance (near or far) between attribute magnitudes was also varied. Pictures did not significantly speed responding relative to words across all other variables. Advantages were found forfar attribute magnitudes (i.e., the distance effect) and salient attributes. The distance effect was much less for salient than nonsalient concrete-attribute comparisons. These results were consistently found in additional experiments with increased statistical power to detect modality effects. Our findings argue against dual-coding and some common-code accounts of conceptual attribute processing, urging reexamination of the assumption that pictures confer privileged access to long-term knowledge.

Motivations for Social Media Use and Impact on Political Participation in China: A Cognitive and Communication Mediation Approach.

PubMed

Chen, Zhuo; Chan, Michael

2017-02-01

Integrating uses and gratifications theory and the cognitive/communication mediation model: this study examines Chinese students' use of social media and subsequent impact on political participation. An integrative framework is proposed where media use, political expression, and political cognitions (efficacy and knowledge) play important mediating roles between audience motivations and participation. Structural equation analyses showed support for the integrated model. Guidance and social utility motivations exhibited different indirect effects on online and offline participation through social media news, discussion, and political efficacy. Entertainment motivations exhibited no direct or indirect effects. Contrary to expectations and previous literature, surveillance motivations exhibited negative direct and indirect effects on offline participation, which may be attributed to the particular Chinese social and political context. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Placed in a steady magnetic field, the flux density inside a permalloy-shielded volume decreases over hours and days

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feinberg, Benedict; Gould, Harvey

2018-03-01

Following the application of an external magnetic field to a thin-walled demagnetized Permalloy cylinder, the magnetic flux density at the center of the shielded volume decreases by roughly 20% over periods of hours to days. We measured this effect for applied magnetic fields from 0.48 A/m to 16 A/m, the latter being comparable to the Earths magnetic field at its weakest point. Delayed changes in magnetic flux density are also observed following alternating current demagnetization. We attribute these effects to delayed changes in magnetization, which have previously been observed in thin Permalloy films and small bulk samples of ferromagnetic materials. Phenomenological models of thermal activation are discussed. Some possible effects on experiments that rely on static shielding are noted.

Effect of olive leaf (Olea europea L.) extracts on protein and lipid oxidation of long-term frozen n-3 fatty acids-enriched pork patties.

PubMed

Botsoglou, Evropi; Govaris, Alexander; Ambrosiadis, Ioannis; Fletouris, Dimitrios; Botsoglou, Nikolas

2014-10-01

Our previous study has demonstrated the protective effects of olive leaf extracts on the oxidation of pork patties from n-3 fatty acid-enriched meat during refrigerated storage. The target of the present study was to examine these effects during frozen storage. Results showed that frozen storage accelerated (P=0.05) both lipid and protein oxidation in pork patties, but an addition of olive leaf extract at 200mg gallic acid equivalent/kg improved sensory attributes by delaying oxidation of lipids (reduction (P=0.05) of conjugated dienes, hydroperoxides and malondialdehyde), and of proteins (reduction (P=0.05) of protein carbonyls and inhibition (P=0.05) of the decrease of protein sulfhydryls). Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Causal attributions in parents of babies with a cleft lip and/or palate and their association with psychological well-being.

PubMed

Nelson, Jonathan; O'Leary, Catherine; Weinman, John

2009-07-01

This study aimed to assess causal attributions of parents of babies with a cleft lip and/or palate. Evidence from causal attribution theory and attribution studies in other medical conditions led to the hypothesis that parents who make internal attributions (self-blame) will have poorer psychological well-being. A cross-sectional survey. Postal questionnaires were sent to parents of children under the care of the South Thames Cleft Service at Guy's Hospital. PARTICIPANTS were recruited if they had a baby between 12 and 24 months old with a cleft lip and/or palate. Of 204 parents, 42 responded. A semistructured questionnaire about causal beliefs was completed alongside validated questionnaires measuring anxiety, depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale). Causal attributions were grouped according to type (environmental, chance, self-blame, and no belief) and loci (external or internal). The most common attribution made was to external factors (54.4%), followed by no causal attribution (38.1%). Parents making an internal (self-blaming) attribution (16.7%) had significantly (p < .05) higher scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety measure (r = .32) and Perceived Stress Scale (r = .33), but not on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression measure (p = .283). The high number of parents making an external attribution can be explained by causal attribution theory. However, the percentage of parents making no causal attribution was higher than seen in previous research. Surprisingly, no parents blamed others. The main hypothesis was tentatively accepted because there were significantly higher anxiety and stress scores in parents who self-blamed; although, depression scores were not significantly higher.

Dissociating Simon and affordance compatibility effects: silhouettes and photographs.

PubMed

Pappas, Zissis

2014-12-01

When a graspable object's handle is oriented to the same side as the response hand, responses are quicker and more accurate than when it is oriented to the opposite side. This effect has been attributed to the affordance of the object's handle (Tucker & Ellis, 1998). Recent findings suggest this effect results instead from an abstract spatial response code (i.e., Simon effect; Cho & Proctor, 2010). However, the stimuli used in these previous studies differ in the amount of object and environmental depth information they contain, which may be critical to conveying an affordance. This information could explain these disparate findings as well as dissociate Simon and affordance compatibility effects. Four experiments demonstrate that the Simon effect results from the absence of this information, as in a silhouette, and the affordance effect results from its presence, as in a photograph. A fifth experiment confirmed that modifying information associated with the affordance, rather than the modification itself, produced the effects observed in the previous experiments. These findings support the following: (a) the internal details of an object and environmental depth can dissociate Simon and affordance compatibility effects, (b) this information is necessary to convey the object's graspable affordance, and (c) the outer shape of the object is not sufficient to elicit an affordance effect. These findings are discussed in relation to the theory of embodied cognition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using potential performance theory to test five hypotheses about meta-attribution.

PubMed

Trafimow, David; Hunt, Gayle; Rice, Stephen; Geels, Kasha

2011-01-01

Based on I. Kant's (1991) distinction between perfect and imperfect duties and the attribution literature pertaining to that distinction, the authors proposed and tested 5 hypotheses about meta-attribution. More specifically, violations of perfect duties have been shown to arouse both more negative affect and stronger correspondent inferences than do violations of imperfect duties (e.g., D. Trafimow, I. K. Bromgard, K. A. Finlay, & T. Ketelaar, 2005). But when it comes to making meta-attributions-that is, guessing the attributions others would make-is the affect differential an advantage or a disadvantage? In addition to the null hypothesis of no effect, the authors proposed and tested additional hypotheses about how negative affect might increase or decrease the effectiveness of people's meta-attribution strategies and how even if there is no effect on strategy effectiveness, negative affect could increase or decrease the consistencies with which these strategies could be used.

The relation of moral emotion attributions to prosocial and antisocial behavior: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Malti, Tina; Krettenauer, Tobias

2013-01-01

This meta-analytic review of 42 studies covering 8,009 participants (ages 4-20) examines the relation of moral emotion attributions to prosocial and antisocial behavior. A significant association is found between moral emotion attributions and prosocial and antisocial behaviors (d = .26, 95% CI [.15, .38]; d = .39, 95% CI [.29, .49]). Effect sizes differ considerably across studies and this heterogeneity is attributed to moderator variables. Specifically, effect sizes for predicted antisocial behavior are larger for self-attributed moral emotions than for emotions attributed to hypothetical story characters. Effect sizes for prosocial and antisocial behaviors are associated with several other study characteristics. Results are discussed with respect to the potential significance of moral emotion attributions for the social behavior of children and adolescents. © 2012 The Authors. Child Development © 2012 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Motive attribution asymmetry for love vs. hate drives intractable conflict.

PubMed

Waytz, Adam; Young, Liane L; Ginges, Jeremy

2014-11-04

Five studies across cultures involving 661 American Democrats and Republicans, 995 Israelis, and 1,266 Palestinians provide previously unidentified evidence of a fundamental bias, what we term the "motive attribution asymmetry," driving seemingly intractable human conflict. These studies show that in political and ethnoreligious intergroup conflict, adversaries tend to attribute their own group's aggression to ingroup love more than outgroup hate and to attribute their outgroup's aggression to outgroup hate more than ingroup love. Study 1 demonstrates that American Democrats and Republicans attribute their own party's involvement in conflict to ingroup love more than outgroup hate but attribute the opposing party's involvement to outgroup hate more than ingroup love. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrate this biased attributional pattern for Israelis and Palestinians evaluating their own group and the opposing group's involvement in the current regional conflict. Study 4 demonstrates in an Israeli population that this bias increases beliefs and intentions associated with conflict intractability toward Palestinians. Finally, study 5 demonstrates, in the context of American political conflict, that offering Democrats and Republicans financial incentives for accuracy in evaluating the opposing party can mitigate this bias and its consequences. Although people find it difficult to explain their adversaries' actions in terms of love and affiliation, we suggest that recognizing this attributional bias and how to reduce it can contribute to reducing human conflict on a global scale.

Motive attribution asymmetry for love vs. hate drives intractable conflict

PubMed Central

Waytz, Adam; Young, Liane L.; Ginges, Jeremy

2014-01-01

Five studies across cultures involving 661 American Democrats and Republicans, 995 Israelis, and 1,266 Palestinians provide previously unidentified evidence of a fundamental bias, what we term the “motive attribution asymmetry,” driving seemingly intractable human conflict. These studies show that in political and ethnoreligious intergroup conflict, adversaries tend to attribute their own group’s aggression to ingroup love more than outgroup hate and to attribute their outgroup’s aggression to outgroup hate more than ingroup love. Study 1 demonstrates that American Democrats and Republicans attribute their own party’s involvement in conflict to ingroup love more than outgroup hate but attribute the opposing party’s involvement to outgroup hate more than ingroup love. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrate this biased attributional pattern for Israelis and Palestinians evaluating their own group and the opposing group’s involvement in the current regional conflict. Study 4 demonstrates in an Israeli population that this bias increases beliefs and intentions associated with conflict intractability toward Palestinians. Finally, study 5 demonstrates, in the context of American political conflict, that offering Democrats and Republicans financial incentives for accuracy in evaluating the opposing party can mitigate this bias and its consequences. Although people find it difficult to explain their adversaries’ actions in terms of love and affiliation, we suggest that recognizing this attributional bias and how to reduce it can contribute to reducing human conflict on a global scale. PMID:25331879

Correlating wine quality indicators to chemical and sensory measurements.

PubMed

Hopfer, Helene; Nelson, Jenny; Ebeler, Susan E; Heymann, Hildegarde

2015-05-12

Twenty-seven commercial Californian Cabernet Sauvignon wines of different quality categories were analyzed with sensory and chemical methods. Correlations between five quality proxies-points awarded during a wine competition, wine expert scores, retail price, vintage, and wine region-were correlated to sensory attributes, volatile compounds, and elemental composition. Wine quality is a multi-faceted construct, incorporating many different layers. Depending on the quality proxy studied, significant correlations between quality and attributes, volatiles and elements were found, some of them previously reported in the literature.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) postmarket reported side effects and adverse events associated with pulmonary hypertension therapy in pediatric patients.

PubMed

Maxey, Dawn M; Ivy, D Dunbar; Ogawa, Michelle T; Feinstein, Jeffrey A

2013-10-01

Because most medications for pediatric pulmonary hypertension (PH) are used off label and based on adult trials, little information is available on pediatric-specific adverse events (AEs). Although drug manufacturers are required to submit postmarket AE reports to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this information is rarely transmitted to practitioners. In the setting of a recent FDA warning for sildenafil, the authors sought to give a better description of the AEs associated with current therapies in pediatric PH. In January 2010, a written request was made to the Food and Drug Administration for AE records of commonly used PH medications. Reports were screened for pediatric patients, analyzed in terms of AEs, and compared with the medical literature. Arbitrarily, AEs that could be attributed to concomitant medications were not attributed to the PH medication in question. Adverse events occurring in more than 5 % of events for each drug were assumed to be associated with the targeted PH medication. Between November 1997 and December 2009, 588 pediatric AE reports (death in 257 cases) were reported for the three most commonly used therapies: bosentan, epoprostenol, and sildenafil. Many of the AEs were similar to those reported previously. However, 27 AEs not previously reported in the literature (e.g., pulmonary hemorrhage, hemoptysis, and pneumonia) were found. The FDA postmarket records for PH medications in pediatric patients show a significant number of AEs. The discovery of AEs not previously reported will better inform those caring for these complex and critically ill children, and the large number of deaths suggest they may be underreported in current literature.

Drivers of liking for soy-based Indian-style extruded snack foods determined by U.S. and Indian consumers.

PubMed

Neely, Erika A; Lee, Youngsoo; Lee, Soo-Yeun

2010-08-01

Although many researchers have studied potential ways to deliver soy in novel forms, little is known about specific sensory attributes associated with soy snacks, or how those attributes drive liking for consumers. The first objective of this study was to use sensory descriptive analysis to characterize 9 extruded soy snacks with varying soy levels and soy grits contents. A total of 12 trained panelists used a descriptive analysis method to evaluate the snacks and found 14 attributes to be significantly different across the samples. Furthermore, it is not known how preferences of Indian snack consumers living in the United States and India may vary for sensory attributes of soy snacks. The 2nd objective was to correlate descriptive profiling data and previously collected consumer data to construct preference maps illustrating consumers' attitudes toward the snacks. Results indicate that consumers generally accept samples characterized by attributes such as crunchy, cumin, curry, salty, and umami, but dislike samples with wheat, rough, or porous attributes. Indian consumers differed from the U.S. consumers in that their preferences were more varied, and they tended to be more tolerant of wheat and porous attributes. Therefore, different strategies should be utilized when developing products for these groups to cater to their specific inclinations.

Modeling first impressions from highly variable facial images

PubMed Central

Vernon, Richard J. W.; Sutherland, Clare A. M.; Young, Andrew W.; Hartley, Tom

2014-01-01

First impressions of social traits, such as trustworthiness or dominance, are reliably perceived in faces, and despite their questionable validity they can have considerable real-world consequences. We sought to uncover the information driving such judgments, using an attribute-based approach. Attributes (physical facial features) were objectively measured from feature positions and colors in a database of highly variable “ambient” face photographs, and then used as input for a neural network to model factor dimensions (approachability, youthful-attractiveness, and dominance) thought to underlie social attributions. A linear model based on this approach was able to account for 58% of the variance in raters’ impressions of previously unseen faces, and factor-attribute correlations could be used to rank attributes by their importance to each factor. Reversing this process, neural networks were then used to predict facial attributes and corresponding image properties from specific combinations of factor scores. In this way, the factors driving social trait impressions could be visualized as a series of computer-generated cartoon face-like images, depicting how attributes change along each dimension. This study shows that despite enormous variation in ambient images of faces, a substantial proportion of the variance in first impressions can be accounted for through linear changes in objectively defined features. PMID:25071197

All Effects of Psychophysical Variables on Color Attributes: A Classification System

PubMed Central

Pridmore, Ralph W.; Melgosa, Manuel

2015-01-01

This paper reports the research and structuring of a classification system for the effects of psychophysical variables on the color attributes. A basic role of color science is to psychophysically specify color appearance. An early stage is to specify the effects of the psychophysical variables (as singles, pairs, etc) on the color attributes (as singles, pairs, etc), for example to model color appearance. Current data on effects are often scarce or conflicting. Few effects are well understood, and the practice of naming effects after their discoverer(s) is inadequate and can be confusing. The number and types of possible effects have never been systematically analyzed and categorized. We propose a simple and rigorous system of classification including nomenclature. The total range of effects is computed from the possible combinations of three psychophysical variables (luminance, dominant wavelength, purity) and six color attributes (lightness, brightness, hue, chroma, colorfulness, saturation) in all modes of appearance. Omitting those effects that are normally impossible to perceive at any one time (such as four- or five-dimensional colors), the total number perceivable is 161 types of effects for all modes of appearance. The type of effect is named after the psychophysical stimulus (or stimuli) and the relevant color attribute(s), e.g., Luminance-on-hue effect (traditionally known as Bezold-Brucke effect). Each type of effect may include slightly different effects with infinite variations depending on experimental parameters. PMID:25859845

What are the attributes of a good health educator?

PubMed

Ilic, Dragan; Harding, Jessica; Allan, Christie; Diug, Basia

2016-06-28

The purpose of this study was to examine the attributes that students and educators believe are important to being a good health educator in a non-clinical setting. A cross-sectional survey of first-year health science students and educators involved with a Health Science course in Melbourne, Australia was performed. A convenience sampling approach was implemented, with participants were required to rate the importance of teaching attributes on a previously developed 15-item written questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were generated, with Pearson's chi-square statistics used to examine differences between groups. In total 94/147 (63.9%) of students and 15/15 (100%) of educators participated in the study. Of the 15 attributes, only 'scholarly activity' was not deemed to be not as an important attribute to define a good educator. Knowledge base (50% vs. 13.3%) and feedback skills (22.3% vs. 0%) were rated as important attributes by students in comparison to educators. Professionalism (20% vs. 5.3%), scholarly activity (20% vs. 3.2%) and role modelling (26.7% vs. 3.2%) were rated as the most important attributes by educators in comparison to students. No single attribute makes a good health educator; rather health educators are required to have a rounded approach to teaching. Students have greater focus on the educator providing a transfer of knowledge. Educators are additionally focused on professionalism attributes, which may not be valued by students. Students and educators must enter into a clearer understanding of expectations, from both parties, to obtain optimal education outcomes.

Attributions to Success and Failure in English Language Learning: The Effects of Gender, Age and Perceived Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genç, Gülten

2016-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to analyze Turkish tertiary level EFL learners' attributions to success and failure and the effects of gender, age, and perceived success on their attributions. The results indicated that EFL learners respectively attributed interest, ability, task difficulty, effort, luck and the influence of teacher and school…

HIV or HIV-Therapy? Causal attributions of symptoms and their impact on treatment decisions among women and men with HIV

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Objectives Among people with HIV, we examined symptom attribution to HIV or HIV-therapy, awareness of potential side effects and discontinuation of treatment, as well as sex/gender differences. Methods HIV-patients (N = 168, 46% female) completed a comprehensive symptom checklist (attributing each endorsed symptom to HIV, HIV-therapy, or other causes), reported reasons for treatment discontinuations and potential ART-related laboratory abnormalities. Results Main symptom areas were fatigue/sleep/energy, depression/mood, lipodystrophy, and gastrointestinal, dermatological, and neurological problems. Top HIV-attributed symptoms were lack of stamina/energy in both genders, night sweats, depression, mood swings in women; and fatigue, lethargy, difficulties concentrating in men. Women attributed symptoms less frequently to HIV than men, particularly fa-tigue(p < .01). Top treatment-attributed symptoms were lipodystrophy and gastrointestinal problems in both genders. Symptom attribution to HIV-therapy did not differ between genders. Over the past six months, 22% switched/interrupted ART due to side effects. In women, side effect-related treatment decisions were more complex, involving more side effects and substances. Remarkably, women took predominantly protease inhibitor-sparing regimens (p = .05). Both genders reported only 15% of potential ART-related laboratory abnormalities but more than 50% had laboratory abnormalities. Notably, women had fewer elevated renal parameters (p < .01). Conclusions Men may attribute symptoms more often to HIV and maintain a treatment-regimen despite side effects, whereas women may be more prudent in avoiding treatment side effects. Lacking awareness of laboratory abnormalities in both genders potentially indicates gaps in physician-patient communication. Gender differences in causal attributions of symptoms/side effects may influence treatment decisions. PMID:19380286

Parents' Attributions for Negative and Positive Child Behavior in Relation to Parenting and Child Problems.

PubMed

Park, Joanne L; Johnston, Charlotte; Colalillo, Sara; Williamson, David

2016-04-12

Previous research has stressed the importance of parents' attributions and parenting for child problems. Based on social cognitive models, studies have focused on the interrelations among parents' child-responsibility attributions for negative behavior, harsh parenting, and child problems. Little is known about the extent to which child-responsibility attributions for positive behavior and other types of parenting play a role in these models. The purpose of this study was to examine whether parents' child-responsibility attributions for positive and negative child behaviors are related to child problems, and whether these relations are mediated by harsh, lax, and positive parenting. Mothers' and fathers' attributions and parenting were examined separately. A community sample of 148 couples and their 9- to 12-year-old child (50% boys) participated in the study. Mothers and children participated by completing questionnaires and a laboratory interaction task. Fathers participated by completing the same questionnaires as mothers. Harsh parenting was the only parenting variable that uniquely mediated the relations between more child-responsibility attributions for (a) negative child behaviors and child problems for both parents and (b) the inverse relation between attributions for positive child behaviors and child problems for fathers. Findings confirm the importance of harsh parenting and demonstrate the importance of parents' attributions for positive child behaviors in relation to decreasing harsh parenting and child problems. Clinically, it may be useful not only to reduce child-responsibility attributions for negative behaviors but also to increase the extent to which parents give their child credit for positive behaviors.

Tricholin, a new antifungal agent from Trichoderma viride, and its action in biological control of Rhizoctonia solani.

PubMed

Lin, A; Lee, T M; Rern, J C

1994-07-01

Tricholin, a ribosome-inactivating protein isolated from the culture broth of Trichoderma viride, has been shown to exert fungicidal effects on Rhizoctonia solani through a multi-hit kinetic interaction. Tricholin causes a parallel cessation of growth, uptake of amino acids, and protein biosynthesis. The in vivo mode of action of tricholin on protein synthesis and cell growth appears to be attributed to the diminishing of the polysome formation in R. solani through damage to large ribosomal subunits. These results concur with previous data and prove that tricholin is an effective inhibitor of protein synthesis. The efficacy of tricholin as an antibiotic agent was estimated to have a duration of approximately 42 hours.

Duration, distance, and speed judgments of two moving objects by 4- to 11-year olds.

PubMed

Matsuda, F

1996-11-01

Four- to 11-year-old children (N = 133) made duration, distance, and speed judgments on a Piagetian task where two cars ran on two parallel tracks. Special effort was made to make duration judgment tasks and distance judgment tasks comparable. Among younger children, difficulties of duration judgments and distance judgments were approximately the same. Additionally, temporal attributes had nearly the same effects on duration judgments as spatial attributes had on distance judgments, and spatial attributes had nearly the same effects on duration judgments as temporal attributes had on distance judgments. Among older children, distance judgments were easier than duration judgments, and the above-mentioned symmetry in effects of temporal and spatial attributes decreased somewhat. Temporal and spatial attributes affected speed judgments equally, across age groups.

Chewing and Attention: A Positive Effect on Sustained Attention

PubMed Central

Onozuka, Minoru

2015-01-01

Chewing is crushing food not only to aid swallowing and digestion, but also to help stress relief and regulate cognitive function, especially in attention. It is well known that chewing gum is used for sleepiness prevention during work, learning, and driving, suggesting a link between chewing and sustained attention. We hypothesized that chewing elevates attention and/or alertness, leading to improvements in cognitive performance. We carried out a systematic review of the PubMed database. We inspected the attributes of effects on attention in studies investigating the effects of chewing on attention or alertness conducted with pre-post design in healthy subjects, except elderly. We identified 151 references, 22 of which were included: 14 (64%) showed positive attributes of effects on attention, 1 (5%) showed negative attributes of effects on attention, 5 (23%) showed both positive and negative attributes of effects on attention, and 2 (9%) showed no significant attributes of effects on attention. Thus, positive attributes of effects of chewing on attention, especially on sustained attention, were shown in over half of the reports. These effects also appeared with improvement in mood and stress relief and were influenced by time-on-task effect. Further studies are needed, but chewing could be useful for modifying cognitive function. PMID:26075234

Children's Moral Emotion Attribution in the Happy Victimizer Task: The Role of Response Format.

PubMed

Gummerum, Michaela; López-Pérez, Belén; Ambrona, Tamara; Rodríguez-Cano, Sonia; Dellaria, Giulia; Smith, Gary; Wilson, Ellie

2016-01-01

Previous research in the happy victimizer tradition indicated that preschool and early elementary school children attribute positive emotions to the violator of a moral norm, whereas older children attribute negative (moral) emotions. Cognitive and motivational processes have been suggested to underlie this developmental shift. The current research investigated whether making the happy victimizer task less cognitively demanding by providing children with alternative response formats would increase their attribution of moral emotions and moral motivation. In Study 1, 93 British children aged 4-7 years old responded to the happy victimizer questions either in a normal condition (where they spontaneously pointed with a finger), a wait condition (where they had to wait before giving their answers), or an arrow condition (where they had to point with a paper arrow). In Study 2, 40 Spanish children aged 4 years old responded to the happy victimizer task either in a normal or a wait condition. In both studies, participants' attribution of moral emotions and moral motivation was significantly higher in the conditions with alternative response formats (wait, arrow) than in the normal condition. The role of cognitive abilities for emotion attribution in the happy victimizer task is discussed.

Verification of hydrologic landscape derived basin-scale classifications in the Pacific Northwest

Treesearch

Keith Sawicz

2016-01-01

The interaction between the physical and climatic attributes of a basin (form) control how water is partitioned, stored, and conveyed through a catchment (function). Hydrologic Landscapes (HLs) were previously...

78 FR 303 - General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation; Information Collection; Proposal To Lease...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-03

... to review and approve an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement for...) evaluate whether the physical attributes of offered properties meet the Government's requirements and (2...

Detecting network communities beyond assortativity-related attributes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xin; Murata, Tsuyoshi; Wakita, Ken

2014-07-01

In network science, assortativity refers to the tendency of links to exist between nodes with similar attributes. In social networks, for example, links tend to exist between individuals of similar age, nationality, location, race, income, educational level, religious belief, and language. Thus, various attributes jointly affect the network topology. An interesting problem is to detect community structure beyond some specific assortativity-related attributes ρ, i.e., to take out the effect of ρ on network topology and reveal the hidden community structures which are due to other attributes. An approach to this problem is to redefine the null model of the modularity measure, so as to simulate the effect of ρ on network topology. However, a challenge is that we do not know to what extent the network topology is affected by ρ and by other attributes. In this paper, we propose a distance modularity, which allows us to freely choose any suitable function to simulate the effect of ρ. Such freedom can help us probe the effect of ρ and detect the hidden communities which are due to other attributes. We test the effectiveness of distance modularity on synthetic benchmarks and two real-world networks.

Event-related potentials to event-related words: grammatical class and semantic attributes in the representation of knowledge.

PubMed

Barber, Horacio A; Kousta, Stavroula-Thaleia; Otten, Leun J; Vigliocco, Gabriella

2010-05-21

A number of recent studies have provided contradictory evidence on the question of whether grammatical class plays a role in the neural representation of lexical knowledge. Most of the previous studies comparing the processing of nouns and verbs, however, confounded word meaning and grammatical class by comparing verbs referring to actions with nouns referring to objects. Here, we recorded electrical brain activity from native Italian speakers reading single words all referring to events (e.g., corsa [the run]; correre [to run]), thus avoiding confounding nouns and verbs with objects and actions. We manipulated grammatical class (noun versus verb) as well as semantic attributes (motor versus sensory events). Activity between 300 and 450ms was more negative for nouns than verbs, and for sensory than motor words, over posterior scalp sites. These grammatical class and semantic effects were not dissociable in terms of latency, duration, or scalp distribution. In a later time window (450-110ms) and at frontal regions, grammatical class and semantic effects interacted; motor verbs were more positive than the other three word categories. We suggest that the lack of a temporal and topographical dissociation between grammatical class and semantic effects in the time range of the N400 component is compatible with an account in which both effects reflect the same underlying process related to meaning retrieval, and we link the later effect with working memory operations associated to the experimental task. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thinking and feeling in the People's Republic of China: testing the generality of the "laws of emotion".

PubMed

Brown, Jonathon D; Cai, Huajian

2010-04-01

Cognitive theories of emotion assert that emotional reactions to events depend on the manner in which events are interpreted and appraised. From this perspective, the same outcome can produce different emotions. For example, a score of 85% on a test can evoke positive feelings if it is considered a success or negative feelings if it is considered a failure. Among the various appraisal dimensions that have been identified, causal attributions are thought to play a particularly influential role in shaping emotional reactions to various events. For example, success can evoke pride if it is attributed to high ability, gratitude if it is attributed to help from others, relief if it is attributed to a stroke of good fortune, or guilt if it is attained fraudulently or at the expense of others. These cognitive-affective linkages are thought to be universal. In this paper, we report two studies that tested the cross-cultural generality of some of these assumptions. In Study 1, participants from the People's Republic of China were led to succeed or fail on an (alleged) test of their intelligence and creativity. Consistent with previous findings with Western samples, attributions to ability predicted participants' emotional reactions to their test performance, with high ability attributions linked to greater pride following success. In Study 2, we extended these findings with American and Chinese participants, using a different experimental manipulation of success and failure, and a measure of attributions to effort. For both cultural groups, attributions to ability (but not attributions to effort) predicted greater emotional reactions to success. We conclude that attribution-emotion linkages have cross-cultural validity, and that pride is maximized when success is attributed to high ability.

Identification and characterization of high methane-emitting abandoned oil and gas wells

PubMed Central

Kang, Mary; Christian, Shanna; Celia, Michael A.; Mauzerall, Denise L.; Bill, Markus; Miller, Alana R.; Chen, Yuheng; Conrad, Mark E.; Darrah, Thomas H.; Jackson, Robert B.

2016-01-01

Recent measurements of methane emissions from abandoned oil/gas wells show that these wells can be a substantial source of methane to the atmosphere, particularly from a small proportion of high-emitting wells. However, identifying high emitters remains a challenge. We couple 163 well measurements of methane flow rates; ethane, propane, and n-butane concentrations; isotopes of methane; and noble gas concentrations from 88 wells in Pennsylvania with synthesized data from historical documents, field investigations, and state databases. Using our databases, we (i) improve estimates of the number of abandoned wells in Pennsylvania; (ii) characterize key attributes that accompany high emitters, including depth, type, plugging status, and coal area designation; and (iii) estimate attribute-specific and overall methane emissions from abandoned wells. High emitters are best predicted as unplugged gas wells and plugged/vented gas wells in coal areas and appear to be unrelated to the presence of underground natural gas storage areas or unconventional oil/gas production. Repeat measurements over 2 years show that flow rates of high emitters are sustained through time. Our attribute-based methane emission data and our comprehensive estimate of 470,000–750,000 abandoned wells in Pennsylvania result in estimated state-wide emissions of 0.04–0.07 Mt (1012 g) CH4 per year. This estimate represents 5–8% of annual anthropogenic methane emissions in Pennsylvania. Our methodology combining new field measurements with data mining of previously unavailable well attributes and numbers of wells can be used to improve methane emission estimates and prioritize cost-effective mitigation strategies for Pennsylvania and beyond. PMID:27849603

Evaluations of emamectin benzoate and propiconazole for protecting individual Pinus contorta from mortality attributed to colonization by Dendroctonus ponderosae and associated fungi.

PubMed

Fettig, Christopher J; Munson, A Steven; Grosman, Donald M; Bush, Parshall B

2014-05-01

Protection of conifers from bark beetle colonization typically involves applications of liquid formulations of contact insecticides to the tree bole. An evaluation was made of the efficacy of bole injections of emamectin benzoate alone and combined with the fungicide propiconazole for protecting individual lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud., from mortality attributed to colonization by mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, and progression of associated blue stain fungi. Injections of emamectin benzoate applied in mid-June did not provide adequate levels of tree protection; however, injections of emamectin benzoate + propiconazole applied at the same time were effective for two field seasons. Injections of emamectin benzoate and emamectin benzoate + propiconazole in mid-September provided tree protection the following field season, but unfortunately efficacy could not be determined during a second field season owing to insufficient levels of tree mortality observed in the untreated control, indicative of low D. ponderosae populations. Previous evaluations of emamectin benzoate for protecting P. contorta from mortality attributed to D. ponderosae have failed to demonstrate efficacy, which was later attributed to inadequate distribution of emamectin benzoate following injections applied several weeks before D. ponderosae colonization. The present data indicate that injections of emamectin benzoate applied in late summer or early fall will provide adequate levels of tree protection the following summer, and that, when emamectin benzoate is combined with propiconazole, tree protection is afforded the year that injections are implemented. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

The influence of API concentration on the roller compaction process: modeling and prediction of the post compacted ribbon, granule and tablet properties using multivariate data analysis.

PubMed

Boersen, Nathan; Carvajal, M Teresa; Morris, Kenneth R; Peck, Garnet E; Pinal, Rodolfo

2015-01-01

While previous research has demonstrated roller compaction operating parameters strongly influence the properties of the final product, a greater emphasis might be placed on the raw material attributes of the formulation. There were two main objectives to this study. First, to assess the effects of different process variables on the properties of the obtained ribbons and downstream granules produced from the rolled compacted ribbons. Second, was to establish if models obtained with formulations of one active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) could predict the properties of similar formulations in terms of the excipients used, but with a different API. Tolmetin and acetaminophen, chosen for their different compaction properties, were roller compacted on Fitzpatrick roller compactor using the same formulation. Models created using tolmetin and tested using acetaminophen. The physical properties of the blends, ribbon, granule and tablet were characterized. Multivariate analysis using partial least squares was used to analyze all data. Multivariate models showed that the operating parameters and raw material attributes were essential in the prediction of ribbon porosity and post-milled particle size. The post compacted ribbon and granule attributes also significantly contributed to the prediction of the tablet tensile strength. Models derived using tolmetin could reasonably predict the ribbon porosity of a second API. After further processing, the post-milled ribbon and granules properties, rather than the physical attributes of the formulation were needed to predict downstream tablet properties. An understanding of the percolation threshold of the formulation significantly improved the predictive ability of the models.

Effective Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease by Means of Association Rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaves, R.; Ramírez, J.; Górriz, J. M.; López, M.; Salas-Gonzalez, D.; Illán, I.; Segovia, F.; Padilla, P.

In this paper we present a novel classification method of SPECT images for the early diagnosis of the Alzheimer's disease (AD). The proposed method is based on Association Rules (ARs) aiming to discover interesting associations between attributes contained in the database. The system uses firstly voxel-as-features (VAF) and Activation Estimation (AE) to find tridimensional activated brain regions of interest (ROIs) for each patient. These ROIs act as inputs to secondly mining ARs between activated blocks for controls, with a specified minimum support and minimum confidence. ARs are mined in supervised mode, using information previously extracted from the most discriminant rules for centering interest in the relevant brain areas, reducing the computational requirement of the system. Finally classification process is performed depending on the number of previously mined rules verified by each subject, yielding an up to 95.87% classification accuracy, thus outperforming recent developed methods for AD diagnosis.

Electron capture by Ne3+ ions from atomic hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rejoub, R.; Bannister, M. E.; Havener, C. C.; Savin, D. W.; Verzani, C. J.; Wang, J. G.; Stancil, P. C.

2004-05-01

Using the Oak Ridge National Laboratory ion-atom merged-beam apparatus, absolute total electron-capture cross sections have been measured for collisions of Ne3+ ions with hydrogen (deuterium) atoms at energies between 0.07 and 826 eV/u . Comparison to previous measurements shows large discrepancies between 50 and 400 eV/u . Previously published molecular-orbital close-coupling (MOCC) calculations were performed over limited energy ranges, but show good agreement with the present measurements. Here MOCC calculations are presented for energies between 0.01 and 1000 eV/u for collisions with both H and D. For energies below ˜1 eV/u , an enhancement in the magnitude of both the experimental and theoretical cross sections is observed which is attributed to the ion-induced dipole attraction between the reactants. Below ˜4 eV/u , the present calculations show a significant target isotope effect.

Impact of cranberry on Escherichia coli cellular surface characteristics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Brandy J.; Lin Baochuan; Dinderman, Michael A.

2008-12-19

The anti-adhesive effects of cranberry have been attributed to both interactions of its components with the surface of bacterial cells and to inhibition of p-fimbriae expression. Previous reports also suggested that the presence of cranberry juice changed the Gram stain characteristics of Escherichia coli. Here, we show that the morphology of E. coli is changed when grown in the presence of juice or extract from Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry). Gene expression analysis indicates the down regulation of flagellar basal body rod and motor proteins. Consistent with this finding and previous reports, the SEM images indicate a decrease in the visible p-fimbriae.more » The iodine used in Gram-staining protocols was found to interact differently with the bacterial membrane when cells were cultured in spiked media. Slight alterations in the Gram stain protocol demonstrated that culturing in the presence of cranberry juice does not change the Gram stain characteristics contradicting other reports.« less

Fundamental(ist) attribution error: Protestants are dispositionally focused.

PubMed

Li, Yexin Jessica; Johnson, Kathryn A; Cohen, Adam B; Williams, Melissa J; Knowles, Eric D; Chen, Zhansheng

2012-02-01

Attribution theory has long enjoyed a prominent role in social psychological research, yet religious influences on attribution have not been well studied. We theorized and tested the hypothesis that Protestants would endorse internal attributions to a greater extent than would Catholics, because Protestantism focuses on the inward condition of the soul. In Study 1, Protestants made more internal, but not external, attributions than did Catholics. This effect survived controlling for Protestant work ethic, need for structure, and intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity. Study 2 showed that the Protestant-Catholic difference in internal attributions was significantly mediated by Protestants' greater belief in a soul. In Study 3, priming religion increased belief in a soul for Protestants but not for Catholics. Finally, Study 4 found that experimentally strengthening belief in a soul increased dispositional attributions among Protestants but did not change situational attributions. These studies expand the understanding of cultural differences in attributions by demonstrating a distinct effect of religion on dispositional attributions.

Positive Attributes Buffer the Negative Associations Between Low Intelligence and High Psychopathology With Educational Outcomes.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Mauricio Scopel; Leibenluft, Ellen; Stringaris, Argyris; Laporte, Paola Paganella; Pan, Pedro Mario; Gadelha, Ary; Manfro, Gisele Gus; Miguel, Eurípedes Constantino; Rohde, Luis Augusto; Salum, Giovanni Abrahão

2016-01-01

This study examines the extent to which children's positive attributes are distinct from psychopathology. We also investigate whether positive attributes change or "buffer" the impact of low intelligence and high psychopathology on negative educational outcomes. In a community sample of 2,240 children (6-14 years of age), we investigated associations among positive attributes, psychopathology, intelligence, and negative educational outcomes. Negative educational outcomes were operationalized as learning problems and poor academic performance. We tested the discriminant validity of psychopathology versus positive attributes using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and propensity score matching analysis (PSM), and used generalized estimating equations (GEE) models to test main effects and interactions among predictors of educational outcomes. According to both CFA and PSM, positive attributes and psychiatric symptoms were distinct constructs. Positive attributes were associated with lower levels of negative educational outcomes, independent of intelligence and psychopathology. Positive attributes buffer the negative effects of lower intelligence on learning problems, and higher psychopathology on poor academic performance. Children's positive attributes are associated with lower levels of negative school outcomes. Positive attributes act both independently and by modifying the negative effects of low intelligence and high psychiatric symptoms on educational outcomes. Subsequent research should test interventions designed to foster the development of positive attributes in children at high risk for educational problems. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. All rights reserved.

Positive Attributes Buffer the Negative Associations Between Low Intelligence and High Psychopathology With Educational Outcomes

PubMed Central

Hoffmann, Mauricio Scopel; Leibenluft, Ellen; Stringaris, Argyris; Laporte, Paola Paganella; Pan, Pedro Mario; Gadelha, Ary; Manfro, Gisele Gus; Miguel, Eurípedes Constantino; Rohde, Luis Augusto; Salum, Giovanni Abrahão

2016-01-01

Objective This study examines the extent to which children’s positive attributes are distinct from psychopathology. We also investigate whether positive attributes change or “buffer” the impact of low intelligence and high psychopathology on negative educational outcomes. Method In a community sample of 2,240 children (6–14 years of age), we investigated associations among positive attributes, psychopathology, intelligence, and negative educational outcomes. Negative educational outcomes were operationalized as learning problems and poor academic performance. We tested the discriminant validity of psychopathology versus positive attributes using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and propensity score matching analysis (PSM), and used generalized estimating equations (GEE) models to test main effects and interactions among predictors of educational outcomes. Results According to both CFA and PSM, positive attributes and psychiatric symptoms were distinct constructs. Positive attributes were associated with lower levels of negative educational outcomes, independent of intelligence and psychopathology. Positive attributes buffer the negative effects of lower intelligence on learning problems, and higher psychopathology on poor academic performance. Conclusion Children’s positive attributes are associated with lower levels of negative school outcomes. Positive attributes act both independently and by modifying the negative effects of low intelligence and high psychiatric symptoms on educational outcomes. Subsequent research should test interventions designed to foster the development of positive attributes in children at high risk for educational problems. PMID:26703909

The Psychologist Said Quickly, “Dialogue Descriptions Modulate Reading Speed!”

PubMed Central

Stites, Mallory C.; Luke, Steven G.; Christianson, Kiel

2012-01-01

The current study investigates whether the semantic content of a dialogue description can affect reading times on an embedded quote to determine if the speed at which a character is described as saying a quote influences how quickly it is read. Yao and Scheepers (2011) previously found that readers were faster to read direct quotes when the preceding context implied that the talker generally spoke quickly, an effect attributed to perceptual simulation of talker speed. The current study manipulated the speed of a physical action performed by the speaker independently from character talking rate to determine if these sources have separable effects on perceptual simulation of a direct quote. Results showed that readers spent less time reading direct quotes described as being said quickly compared to slowly (e.g., John walked/bolted into the room and said energetically/nonchalantly, “I finally found my car keys”), an effect that was not present when a nearly identical phrase was presented as an indirect quote (e.g., John…said energetically that he finally found his car keys). The speed of the character’s movement did not affect direct quote reading times. Furthermore, fast adverbs were themselves read significantly faster than slow adverbs, an effect we attribute to implicit effects on the eye movement program stemming from automatically activated semantic features of the adverbs. Our findings add to the literature on perceptual simulation by showing that these effects can be instantiated with only a single adverb, and are strong enough to override effects of global sentence speed. PMID:22927027

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Temporoparietal Junction and Inferior Frontal Cortex Improves Imitation-Inhibition and Perspective-Taking with no Effect on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient Score.

PubMed

Nobusako, Satoshi; Nishi, Yuki; Nishi, Yuki; Shuto, Takashi; Asano, Daiki; Osumi, Michihiro; Morioka, Shu

2017-01-01

Lesions to brain regions such as the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and inferior frontal cortex (IFC) are thought to cause autism-spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous studies indicated that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the right TPJ improves social cognitive functions such as imitation-inhibition and perspective-taking. Although previous work shows that tDCS of the right IFC improves imitation-inhibition, its effects on perspective-taking have yet to be determined. In addition, the role of the TPJ and IFC in determining the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), which is a measure of autism spectrum traits, is still unclear. Thus, the current study performed tDCS on the right TPJ and the right IFC of healthy adults, and examined its effects on imitation-inhibition, perspective-taking and AQ scores. Based on previous studies, we hypothesized that anodal tDCS of the right IFC and right TPJ would improve imitation-inhibition, perspective-taking and the AQ score. Anodal tDCS of the right TPJ or IFC significantly decreased the interference effect in an imitation-inhibition task and the cost of perspective-taking in a perspective-taking task, in comparison to the sham stimulation control. These findings indicated that both the TPJ and the IFC play a role in imitation-inhibition and perspective-taking, i.e., control of self and other representations. However, anodal stimulation of the right TPJ and the right IFC did not alter participants' AQ. This finding conflicts with results from previous brain imaging studies, which could be attributed to methodological differences such as variation in sex, age and ASD. Therefore, further research is necessary to determine the relationship between the TPJ and IFC, and the AQ.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Temporoparietal Junction and Inferior Frontal Cortex Improves Imitation-Inhibition and Perspective-Taking with no Effect on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient Score

PubMed Central

Nobusako, Satoshi; Nishi, Yuki; Nishi, Yuki; Shuto, Takashi; Asano, Daiki; Osumi, Michihiro; Morioka, Shu

2017-01-01

Lesions to brain regions such as the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and inferior frontal cortex (IFC) are thought to cause autism-spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous studies indicated that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the right TPJ improves social cognitive functions such as imitation-inhibition and perspective-taking. Although previous work shows that tDCS of the right IFC improves imitation-inhibition, its effects on perspective-taking have yet to be determined. In addition, the role of the TPJ and IFC in determining the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), which is a measure of autism spectrum traits, is still unclear. Thus, the current study performed tDCS on the right TPJ and the right IFC of healthy adults, and examined its effects on imitation-inhibition, perspective-taking and AQ scores. Based on previous studies, we hypothesized that anodal tDCS of the right IFC and right TPJ would improve imitation-inhibition, perspective-taking and the AQ score. Anodal tDCS of the right TPJ or IFC significantly decreased the interference effect in an imitation-inhibition task and the cost of perspective-taking in a perspective-taking task, in comparison to the sham stimulation control. These findings indicated that both the TPJ and the IFC play a role in imitation-inhibition and perspective-taking, i.e., control of self and other representations. However, anodal stimulation of the right TPJ and the right IFC did not alter participants’ AQ. This finding conflicts with results from previous brain imaging studies, which could be attributed to methodological differences such as variation in sex, age and ASD. Therefore, further research is necessary to determine the relationship between the TPJ and IFC, and the AQ. PMID:28536512

Color Perception in Pediatric Patient Room Design: American versus Korean Pediatric Patients.

PubMed

Phillip Park, Jin Gyu; Park, Changbae

2013-01-01

This study simultaneously addresses the issues of the scarcity of information about pediatric patient color preferences, conflicting findings about the impact of culture on color preferences, and limitations of previous research instruments. Effects of culture and gender on color preferences were investigated using American and Korean pediatric patients. Much of the existing research in environmental design has focused on environments for healthy children and adults, but those findings cannot be confidently applied to environments for pediatric patients. In previous studies, the impact of culture on color preferences has been suggested, though the effects appear to vary. Moreover, the results of previous studies were typically based on perceptions of small color chips, which are different from seeing a color on wall surfaces. Previous studies also failed to control for confounding variables such as color attributes and light sources. Instead of using color chips, this study used physical model simulation to investigate environmental color preferences in real contexts. Cultural difference was found in white. Other than white, no significant cultural difference was found. Gender differences were found across both of the groups. Korean pediatric patients showed significantly higher preference scores for white than Americans did. Other than white, both groups reported blue and green as their most preferred colors; white was the least preferred. Both groups reported similar gender effects. Overall, male patients reported significantly lower preference scores for red and purple than female patients did. These results can help healthcare providers and professionals better understand appropriate colors for pediatric populations. Evidence-based design, healing environment, patients, pediatric, satisfaction.

Why childhood-onset type 1 diabetes impacts labour market outcomes: a mediation analysis.

PubMed

Persson, Sofie; Dahlquist, Gisela; Gerdtham, Ulf-G; Steen Carlsson, Katarina

2018-02-01

Previous studies show a negative effect of type 1 diabetes on labour market outcomes such as employment and earnings later in life. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these effects. This study aims to analyse the mediating role of adult health, education, occupation and family formation. A total of 4179 individuals from the Swedish Childhood Diabetes Register and 16,983 individuals forming a population control group born between 1962 and 1979 were followed between 30 and 50 years of age. The total effect of having type 1 diabetes was broken down into a direct effect and an indirect (mediating) effect using statistical mediation analysis. We also analysed whether type 1 diabetes has different effects on labour market outcome between the sexes and across socioeconomic status. Childhood-onset type 1 diabetes had a negative impact on employment (OR 0.68 [95% CI 0.62, 0.76] and OR 0.76 [95% CI 0.67, 0.86]) and earnings (-6%, p < 0.001 and -8%, p < 0.001) for women and men, respectively. Each of the mediators studied contributed to the total effect with adult health and occupational field accounting for the largest part. However, some of the effect could not be attributed to any of the mediators studied and was therefore likely related to other characteristics of the disease that hamper career opportunities. The effect of type 1 diabetes on employment and earnings did not vary significantly according to socioeconomic status of the family (parental education and earnings). A large part of the effect of type 1 diabetes on the labour market is attributed to adult health but there are other important mediating factors that need to be considered to reduce this negative effect.

A study revealing the key aroma compounds of steamed bread made by Chinese traditional sourdough*

PubMed Central

Zhang, Guo-hua; Wu, Tao; Sadiq, Faizan A.; Yang, Huan-yi; Liu, Tong-jie; Ruan, Hui; He, Guo-qing

2016-01-01

Aroma of Chinese steamed bread (CSB) is one of the important parameters that determines the overall quality attributes and consumer acceptance. However, the aroma profile of CSB still remains poorly understood, mainly because of relying on only a single method for aroma extraction in previous studies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the volatile aroma compounds of five different samples of CSB using three different aroma extraction methods, namely solid-phase microextraction (SPME), simultaneous distillation–extraction (SDE), and purge and trap (P&T). All samples showed a unique aroma profile, which could be attributed to their unique microbial consortia. (E)-2-Nonenal and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal were the most prevalent aromatic compounds revealed by SDE, which have not been reported previously, while ethanol and acetic acid proved to be the most dominant compounds by both SPME and P&T. Our approach of combining three different aroma extraction methods provided better insights into the aroma profile of CSB, which had remained largely unknown in previous studies. PMID:27704748

Associations of Perceived and Objectively Measured Neighborhood Environmental Attributes With Leisure-Time Sitting for Transport.

PubMed

Liao, Yung; Sugiyama, Takemi; Shibata, Ai; Ishii, Kaori; Inoue, Shigeru; Koohsari, Mohammad Javad; Owen, Neville; Oka, Koichiro

2016-12-01

This study examined associations of perceived and objectively measured neighborhood environmental attributes with leisure-time sitting for transport among middle-to-older aged Japanese adults. Data were collected using a postal survey of 998 adults aged 40 to 69 years. Generalized linear modeling with a gamma distribution and a log link was used to examine associations of perceived (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Environmental module) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-derived built environment attributes with self-reported leisure-time sitting for transport. Mean leisure-time sitting time for transport was 20.4 min/day. After adjusting for potential confounders, perceived higher residential density, GIS-measured higher population density, better access to destinations, better access to public transport, longer sidewalk length, and higher street connectivity, were associated significantly with lower sitting time for transport. Residents living in neighborhoods with attributes previously found to be associated with more walking tended to spend less time sitting for transport during leisure-time. The health benefits of walkability-related attributes may accrue not only through increased physical activity, but also through less sedentary time.

Multi-attribute Regret-Based Dynamic Pricing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jumadinova, Janyl; Dasgupta, Prithviraj

In this paper, we consider the problem of dynamic pricing by a set of competing sellers in an information economy where buyers differentiate products along multiple attributes, and buyer preferences can change temporally. Previous research in this area has either focused on dynamic pricing along a limited number of (e.g. binary) attributes, or, assumes that each seller has access to private information such as preference distribution of buyers, and profit/price information of other sellers. However, in real information markets, private information about buyers and sellers cannot be assumed to be available a priori. Moreover, due to the competition between sellers, each seller faces a tradeoff between accuracy and rapidity of the pricing mechanism. In this paper, we describe a multi-attribute dynamic pricing algorithm based on minimax regret that can be used by a seller's agent called a pricebot, to maximize the seller's utility. Our simulation results show that the minimax regret based dynamic pricing algorithm performs significantly better than other algorithms for rapidly and dynamically tracking consumer attributes without using any private information from either buyers or sellers.

Linkage between Free Exploratory Movements and Subjective Tactile Ratings.

PubMed

Yokosaka, Takumi; Kuroki, Scinob; Watanabe, Junji; Nishida, Shinya

2017-01-01

We actively move our hands and eyes when exploring the external world and gaining information about object's attributes. Previous studies showing that how we touch might be related to how we felt led us to consider whether we could decode observers' subjective tactile experiences only by analyzing their exploratory movements without explicitly asking how they perceived. However, in those studies, explicit judgment tasks were performed about specific tactile attributes that were prearranged by experimenters. Here, we systematically investigated whether exploratory movements can explain tactile ratings even when participants do not need to judge any tactile attributes. While measuring both hand and eye movements, we asked participants to touch materials freely without judging any specific tactile attributes (free-touch task) or to evaluate one of four tactile attributes (roughness, hardness, slipperiness, and temperature). We found that tactile ratings in the judgment tasks correlated with exploratory movements even in the free-touch task and that eye movements as well as hand movements correlated with tactile ratings. These results might open up the possibility of decoding tactile experiences by exploratory movements.

Retrieving the unretrievable in electronic imaging systems: emotions, themes, and stories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joergensen, Corinne

1999-05-01

New paradigms such as 'affective computing' and user-based research are extending the realm of facets traditionally addressed in IR systems. This paper builds on previous research reported to the electronic imaging community concerning the need to provide access to more abstract attributes of images than those currently amenable to a variety of content-based and text-based indexing techniques. Empirical research suggest that, for visual materials, in addition to standard bibliographic data and broad subject, and in addition to such visually perceptual attributes such as color, texture, shape, and position or focal point, additional access points such as themes, abstract concepts, emotions, stories, and 'people-related' information such as social status would be useful in image retrieval. More recent research demonstrates that similar results are also obtained with 'fine arts' images, which generally have no access provided for these types of attributes. Current efforts to match image attributes as revealed in empirical research with those addressed both in current textural and content-based indexing systems are discussed, as well as the need for new representations for image attributes and for collaboration among diverse communities of researchers.

The effect of minimalist footwear and instruction on running: an observational study

PubMed Central

Buckley, Linda; Palmer, Lisa J M; Ormond, Roisin M; Owen, Gwawr; Watson, Daniel J; Woledge, Roger; Newham, Di

2017-01-01

Background It is not known whether the effects on altered running style which are attributed to minimalist footwear can be achieved by verbal instructions in standard running shoes (SRS). Aim To explore the effect of Vibram FiveFingers (VFF) versus SRS plus running instruction on lower extremity spatiotemporal parameters and lower limb joint kinematics. Methods 35 healthy subjects (mean=30 years, 18 females) were assessed on two occasions with 3D motion analysis. At each session subjects ran on a treadmill (3.58 m/s) for 2 min in either VFF or SRS (randomised order); with and without running instruction. Differences between spatiotemporal parameters and lower limb joint kinematics between conditions were assessed using a 2x2 repeated-measures ANOVA. Results Wearing VFF significantly increased cadence (p<0.001) and reduced stride length (p<0.01). Prior to initial contact, both instruction and VFF significantly increased foot (p<0.001 and p=0.02, respectively) and ankle (p<0.001 and p=0.02, respectively) plantarflexion, while wearing VFF significantly increased knee extension (p=0.04). At initial contact, instruction significantly increased knee flexion (p=0.04), and foot (p=0.001) and ankle (p=0.03) plantarflexion. At mid-stance and toe-off, instruction significantly increased knee flexion (p=0.048 and p<0.001, respectively) and foot plantarflexion (p<0.001 and p=0.01, respectively). Instruction had a greater effect on increasing knee flexion (p=0.007) and plantarflexion angle (p<0.001) when subjects wore SRS and VFF, respectively. Conclusion Alterations in spatiotemporal parameters observed when running in VFF are likely to be attributable to the minimalist footwear. However, the kinematic adaptations observed following instruction suggests that changes in joint angles previously attributed to minimalist footwear alone may be similarly achieved with instruction. PMID:28761694

Emphasizing Malleability in the Biology of Depression: Durable Effects on Perceived Agency and Prognostic Pessimism

PubMed Central

Lebowitz, Matthew S.; Ahn, Woo-kyoung

2015-01-01

Biological attributions for depression, which are currently ascendant, can lead to prognostic pessimism—the perception that symptoms are relatively immutable and unlikely to abate (Kvaale, Haslam, & Gottdiener, 2013; Lebowitz, Ahn, & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2013). Among symptomatic individuals, this may have important clinical ramifications, as reduced confidence in one’s own ability to overcome depression carries the risk of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Previous research (Lebowitz, Ahn, et al., 2013) has demonstrated that educational interventions teaching symptomatic individuals about how the effects of genetic and neurobiological factors involved in depression are malleable and can be modified by experiences and environmental factors can reduce prognostic pessimism. While previous research demonstrated such effects only in the immediate term, the present research extends these findings by testing whether such benefits persist six weeks after the intervention. Indeed, among individuals who initially considered biological factors to play a major role in influencing their levels of depression, exposure to malleability-focused psychoeducation reduced levels of depression-related prognostic pessimism and stronger belief in their ability to regulate their moods. Critically, this benefit persisted six weeks after the intervention. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed. PMID:26112398

Patterns of Use, Acute Subjective Experiences, and Motivations for Using Synthetic Cathinones ("Bath Salts") in Recreational Users.

PubMed

Ashrafioun, Lisham; Bonadio, Francis A; Baik, Kyoung Deok; Bradbury, Stacey L; Carhart, Victoria L; Cross, Nicole A; Davis, Alan K; Feuille, Margaret; Harper, Anna R; Lackey, Jennifer H; Lang, Brent; Lauritsen, Kirstin J; Leith, Jaclyn; Osborn, Lawrence A; Rosenberg, Harold; Stock, Jacob; Zaturenskaya, Mariya

2016-01-01

Given the variety and potential toxicity of synthetic cathinones, clinicians and educators would benefit from information about patterns of and motivations for use, frequency of psychosocial consequences, and experience of acute subjective effects. We administered a comprehensive, web-based survey to 104 recreational users of synthetic cathinones. Sixty percent of respondents consumed synthetic cathinones once or more per month, usually snorting or swallowing these drugs, typically at home, usually with others, customarily during the evening and nighttime hours, and often in combination with another drug such as alcohol or marijuana. Acute subjective effects attributed to synthetic cathinones were similar to those of other psychostimulants, including increased energy, rapid heartbeat, racing thoughts, difficulty sleeping, euphoria, decreased appetite, open-mindedness, and increased sex drive. Reported reasons for using synthetic cathinones included its stimulating effects, curiosity, substitution for another drug, and being at a party/music event. Respondents had experienced an average of six negative consequences of using synthetic cathinones during the previous year (e.g., tolerance, neglecting responsibilities, personality change). In combination with previously published investigations, these findings increase our understanding of the reported rationales and outcomes of recreational use of synthetic cathinones.

Attributional Effects in Interpersonal Settings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Craig A.

Research has shown that attributing failure to lack of ability leads to lower motivation than does attributing the failure to lack of effort. An attributional model of motivation and performance following failure was tested with college students (N=63), who were preselected on the basis of their attributional styles for interpersonal failures, as…

Negative emotions can attenuate the influence of beliefs on logical reasoning.

PubMed

Goel, Vinod; Vartanian, Oshin

2011-01-01

Although the influence of beliefs on logical reasoning is well documented, how emotions modulate the effect of beliefs during reasoning remains unexamined. We instructed participants to reason about syllogisms involving neutral or emotionally charged content. We also manipulated the consistency of beliefs with logical validity. When content was neutral, participants exhibited the belief-bias effect observed in previous studies of reasoning. In contrast, when confronted with emotionally charged content participants were less likely to be influenced by their beliefs. Our results suggest that under certain conditions negative emotions can attenuate the influence of beliefs during logical reasoning. Drawing on the affect infusion model, we attribute this effect to a more vigilant, systematic scrutiny of beliefs in the presence of negative emotions. © 2010 Psychology Press, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business

Peer victimization predicts psychological symptoms beyond the effects of child maltreatment.

PubMed

Sansen, Lisa Margareta; Iffland, Benjamin; Neuner, Frank

2014-12-30

Experiences of peer victimization have been repeatedly associated with psychological symptoms and disorders. However, as peer victimization is correlated with child maltreatment occurring within the family, it remains unclear whether the pathological effect of peer victimization is an artifact that can be attributed to previous aversive events. To separate the effects of peer victimization from child maltreatment, we studied both event types as well as psychological symptoms in a mixed clinical sample of ambulant and psychiatric patients (N=168), a self-selected community sample recruited through the internet (N=995), and a student sample (N=272). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that, after controlling for child maltreatment, peer victimization accounted for an incremental proportion of the variance of different symptom dimensions in each sample. These results indicate that peer victimization is an independent predictor of psychopathology.

A review of elementary school-based substance use prevention programs: identifying program attributes.

PubMed

Hopfer, S; Davis, D; Kam, J A; Shin, Y; Elek, E; Hecht, M L

2010-01-01

This article takes a systematic approach to reviewing substance use prevention programs introduced in elementary school (K-6th grade). Previous studies evaluating such programs among elementary school students showed mixed effects on subsequent substance use and related psychosocial factors. Thirty published evaluation studies of 24 elementary school-based substance use prevention programs were reviewed. The study selection criteria included searching for program evaluations from 1980 to 2008. Among 27 evaluation studies that examined program effects on substance use, 56% (n = 15) found significant decreases. In addition, programs most often demonstrated effects on increasing negative substance use attitudes, increasing knowledge, decreasing perceptions of prevalence rates (i.e., descriptive norms), and improving resistance skills. These results have implications for the appropriateness and value of introducing substance use prevention programs to youth in elementary school.

Integrated methodology for the evaluation of cleaning effectiveness in two Russian icons (16th-17th centuries).

PubMed

Sandu, Irina Crina Anca; Bracci, Susanna; Lobefaro, Mariella; Sandu, Ion

2010-08-01

This article covers a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of cleaning two Russian icons. The icons belong to a group of five from the same iconographic school, dating from the 16th to 17th centuries. An integrated and complementary approach to varnish and overpaint removal involved microscopic techniques (optical and scanning electron microscopy) and colorimetry (CIE L*a*b* system). The materials and techniques used in these icons have been characterized previously. Cleaning revealed extensive overpainting that had not only dramatically changed the original appearance, but also the meaning and attribution of one of the two icons. The analyses carried out were useful in determining the extent of the overpainting and led to a better assessment of the results and effectiveness of the restoration. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Message framing with respect to decisions about vaccination: the roles of frame valence, frame method and perceived risk.

PubMed

Ferguson, Eamonn; Gallagher, Laura

2007-11-01

People respond differently when information is framed either positively or negatively (frame valence). Two prominent models propose that the effects of valence are moderated by (1) the method of framing (attributes vs. goals: Levin, Schneider, & Gaeth, 1998) and (2) perceived risk (Rothman & Salovey, 1997). This experiment (N=200) explores the joint influence of both of these moderators with respect to decisions about a flu vaccination. The study extends previous work by integrating these two models and exploring the moderating effects of two different aspects of perceived risk (personal outcome effectiveness and procedural risk). The results show that personal outcome effectiveness indirectly links frames to intentions. Procedural risk moderates the relationship between valence and method in a manner consistent with predictions from Levin et al.. Partial support for the model proposed by Rothman and Salovey are observed for goal frames only.

Women's interpretation of and responses to potential gynaecological cancer symptoms: a qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Low, E L; Whitaker, K L; Simon, A E; Sekhon, M; Waller, J

2015-07-06

To explore women's experiences of symptoms potentially indicative of gynaecological cancer in a community-based sample without imposing a cancer perspective. A qualitative interview study with thematic analysis of transcripts. 26 women aged ≥30 years, who had experienced a symptom that might indicate gynaecological cancer in the past 3 months, were recruited using a screening questionnaire distributed online and in community settings. London, UK. Women attributed gynaecological symptoms to existing illnesses/conditions or considered themselves to be predisposed to them, either through their 'genes' or previous personal experience. Normalising symptoms by attributing them to demographic characteristics (eg, age, sex) was common, as was considering them a side effect of hormonal contraception. When women raised cancer as a possible cause, they often dismissed it as unlikely. Responses to symptoms included self-management (eg, self-medicating, making lifestyle changes), adopting a 'lay system of care', or consulting a healthcare professional. Triggers to help-seeking included persistent, painful or debilitating symptoms, concern about symptom seriousness, and feeling that help-seeking was legitimised. Barriers to help-seeking included lack of concern, vague symptoms, unusual symptom location, competing time demands, previous negative experiences with the healthcare system, and not wanting to be perceived as a time-waster. Attributions of symptoms potentially indicative of a gynaecological cancer were varied, but most often involved women fitting symptoms into their expectations of what was 'normal'. Normalising acted as a barrier to seeking help from a healthcare professional, alongside competing time demands and negative attitudes towards help-seeking. These barriers may lead to later diagnosis and poorer cancer survival. Our findings could be used to inform the development of interventions to encourage appropriate help-seeking. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Lesions of the SDN-POA inhibit sexual behavior of male Wistar rats.

PubMed

De Jonge, F H; Louwerse, A L; Ooms, M P; Evers, P; Endert, E; van de Poll, N E

1989-12-01

Discrete bilateral lesions in the SDN-POA of sexually naive adult male rats were found to decrease the number of animals ejaculating and/or to increase latencies to the first mount, intromission and ejaculation. The deleterious effects of the lesions disappeared after 4 tests for sexual behavior but were reinstated when the males were tested under suboptimal conditions, i.e., when they were tested with a marginally receptive female or when they had only limited access to the stimulus female. It was subsequently shown that males with a bilaterally lesioned SDN-POA still showed an increase in plasma testosterone. LH and prolactin levels in response to sexual stimulation. Effects of the lesions on scent marking were not found. Together with previous data indicating that SDN-POA-lesions disrupt masculine sexual behavior in females, these data are taken as evidence that the SDN-POA plays a role in the regulation of masculine sexual behavior. The data further suggest that previously reported negative results of SDN-POA-lesions on masculine sexual behavior in male rats might be attributed to the use of sexually experienced instead of sexually inexperienced animals.

Effects of sodium benzoate on storage stability of previously improved beverage from tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.).

PubMed

Adeola, Abiodun A; Aworh, Ogugua C

2014-01-01

The effect of sodium benzoate on the quality attributes of improved tamarind beverage during storage was investigated. Tamarind beverages were produced according to a previously reported improved method, with or without chemical preservatives (100 mg/100 mL sodium benzoate). Tamarind beverage produced according to traditional processing method served as the control. The tamarind beverages were stored for 4 months at room (29 ± 2°C) and refrigerated (4-10°C) temperatures. Samples were analyzed, at regular intervals, for chemical, sensory, and microbiological qualities. Appearance of coliforms or overall acceptability score of 5.9 was used as deterioration index. The control beverages deteriorated by 2nd and 10th days at room and refrigerated temperatures, respectively. Improved tamarind beverage produced without the inclusion of sodium benzoate was stable for 3 and 5 weeks at room and refrigerated temperatures, respectively. Sodium benzoate extended the shelf life of the improved tamarind beverage to 6 and 13 weeks, respectively, at room and refrigerated temperatures.

Hyperosmolarity leads to an increase in derepressed system A activity in the renal epithelial cell line NBL-1.

PubMed Central

Soler, C; Felipe, A; Casado, F J; McGivan, J D; Pastor-Anglada, M

1993-01-01

Hyperosmolarity induced an increase in Na(+)-dependent L-alanine uptake in confluent monolayers of the established renal epithelial cell line NBL-1. This induction was attributable to system A and was only seen when the cells had been previously deprived of amino acids in the culture medium to derepress system A activity. It was additive to the adaptive regulation induction, and both were inhibited by cycloheximide. However, the hyperosmolarity effect was inhibited by colcemid (an inhibitor of microtubular function), but adaptive regulation was not. Otherwise, when cell monolayers were incubated in a control medium, basal Na(+)-dependent L-alanine uptake mediated by system B0 decreased. The results of this study show that: (i) system A activity was not induced by cell shrinkage and subsequent swelling due to extracellular hyperosmolarity when cells were incubated in control medium; (ii) previous expression of system A activity induced by amino acid starvation seems to be a prerequisite for further induction due to hyperosmolarity; and (iii) the effects of adaptive regulation and hyperosmotic stress are mediated by different mechanisms. PMID:8435065

Involvement of the basolateral amygdala in muscarinic cholinergic modulation of extinction memory consolidation

PubMed Central

Boccia, Mariano M.; Blake, Mariano G.; Baratti, Carlos M.; McGaugh, James L.

2009-01-01

Previous studies have reported that drugs affecting neuromodulatory systems within the basolateral amygdala (BLA), including drugs affecting muscarinic cholinergic receptors, modulate the consolidation of many kinds of training, including contextual fear conditioning (CFC). The present experiments investigated the involvement of muscarinic cholinergic influences within the BLA in modulating the consolidation of CFC extinction memory. Male Sprague Dawley rats implanted with unilateral cannula aimed at the BLA were trained on a CFC task, using footshock stimulation, and 24 and 48 h later were given extinction training by replacing them in the apparatus without footshock. Following each extinction session they received intra-BLA infusions of the cholinergic agonist oxotremorine (10 ng). Immediate post-extinction BLA infusions significantly enhanced extinction but infusions administered 180 min after extinction training did not influence extinction. Thus the oxotremorine effects were time-dependent and not attributable to non-specific effects on retention performance. These findings provide evidence that, as previously found with original CFC learning, cholinergic activation within the BLA modulates the consolidation of CFC extinction. PMID:18706510

Regulation of Cortical Dynamic Range by Background Synaptic Noise and Feedforward Inhibition.

PubMed

Khubieh, Ayah; Ratté, Stéphanie; Lankarany, Milad; Prescott, Steven A

2016-08-01

The cortex encodes a broad range of inputs. This breadth of operation requires sensitivity to weak inputs yet non-saturating responses to strong inputs. If individual pyramidal neurons were to have a narrow dynamic range, as previously claimed, then staggered all-or-none recruitment of those neurons would be necessary for the population to achieve a broad dynamic range. Contrary to this explanation, we show here through dynamic clamp experiments in vitro and computer simulations that pyramidal neurons have a broad dynamic range under the noisy conditions that exist in the intact brain due to background synaptic input. Feedforward inhibition capitalizes on those noise effects to control neuronal gain and thereby regulates the population dynamic range. Importantly, noise allows neurons to be recruited gradually and occludes the staggered recruitment previously attributed to heterogeneous excitation. Feedforward inhibition protects spike timing against the disruptive effects of noise, meaning noise can enable the gain control required for rate coding without compromising the precise spike timing required for temporal coding. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Reversible mechano-electrochemical writing of metallic nanostructures with the tip of an atomic force microscope.

PubMed

Obermair, Christian; Kress, Marina; Wagner, Andreas; Schimmel, Thomas

2012-01-01

We recently introduced a method that allows the controlled deposition of nanoscale metallic patterns at defined locations using the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) as a "mechano-electrochemical pen", locally activating a passivated substrate surface for site-selective electrochemical deposition. Here, we demonstrate the reversibility of this process and study the long-term stability of the resulting metallic structures. The remarkable stability for more than 1.5 years under ambient air without any observable changes can be attributed to self-passivation. After AFM-activated electrochemical deposition of copper nanostructures on a polycrystalline gold film and subsequent AFM imaging, the copper nanostructures could be dissolved by reversing the electrochemical potential. Subsequent AFM-tip-activated deposition of different copper nanostructures at the same location where the previous structures were deleted, shows that there is no observable memory effect, i.e., no effect of the previous writing process on the subsequent writing process. Thus, the four processes required for reversible information storage, "write", "read", "delete" and "re-write", were successfully demonstrated on the nanometer scale.

Reversible mechano-electrochemical writing of metallic nanostructures with the tip of an atomic force microscope

PubMed Central

Kress, Marina; Wagner, Andreas; Schimmel, Thomas

2012-01-01

Summary We recently introduced a method that allows the controlled deposition of nanoscale metallic patterns at defined locations using the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) as a “mechano-electrochemical pen”, locally activating a passivated substrate surface for site-selective electrochemical deposition. Here, we demonstrate the reversibility of this process and study the long-term stability of the resulting metallic structures. The remarkable stability for more than 1.5 years under ambient air without any observable changes can be attributed to self-passivation. After AFM-activated electrochemical deposition of copper nanostructures on a polycrystalline gold film and subsequent AFM imaging, the copper nanostructures could be dissolved by reversing the electrochemical potential. Subsequent AFM-tip-activated deposition of different copper nanostructures at the same location where the previous structures were deleted, shows that there is no observable memory effect, i.e., no effect of the previous writing process on the subsequent writing process. Thus, the four processes required for reversible information storage, “write”, “read”, “delete” and “re-write”, were successfully demonstrated on the nanometer scale. PMID:23365795

Identification and Prioritization of Important Attributes of Disease-Modifying Drugs in Decision Making among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Nominal Group Technique and Best-Worst Scaling.

PubMed

Kremer, Ingrid E H; Evers, Silvia M A A; Jongen, Peter J; van der Weijden, Trudy; van de Kolk, Ilona; Hiligsmann, Mickaël

2016-01-01

Understanding the preferences of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) for disease-modifying drugs and involving these patients in clinical decision making can improve the concordance between medical decisions and patient values and may, subsequently, improve adherence to disease-modifying drugs. This study aims first to identify which characteristics-or attributes-of disease-modifying drugs influence patients´ decisions about these treatments and second to quantify the attributes' relative importance among patients. First, three focus groups of relapsing-remitting MS patients were formed to compile a preliminary list of attributes using a nominal group technique. Based on this qualitative research, a survey with several choice tasks (best-worst scaling) was developed to prioritize attributes, asking a larger patient group to choose the most and least important attributes. The attributes' mean relative importance scores (RIS) were calculated. Nineteen patients reported 34 attributes during the focus groups and 185 patients evaluated the importance of the attributes in the survey. The effect on disease progression received the highest RIS (RIS = 9.64, 95% confidence interval: [9.48-9.81]), followed by quality of life (RIS = 9.21 [9.00-9.42]), relapse rate (RIS = 7.76 [7.39-8.13]), severity of side effects (RIS = 7.63 [7.33-7.94]) and relapse severity (RIS = 7.39 [7.06-7.73]). Subgroup analyses showed heterogeneity in preference of patients. For example, side effect-related attributes were statistically more important for patients who had no experience in using disease-modifying drugs compared to experienced patients (p < .001). This study shows that, on average, patients valued effectiveness and unwanted effects as most important. Clinicians should be aware of the average preferences but also that attributes of disease-modifying drugs are valued differently by different patients. Person-centred clinical decision making would be needed and requires eliciting individual preferences.

Species richness alters spatial nutrient heterogeneity effects on above-ground plant biomass.

PubMed

Xi, Nianxun; Zhang, Chunhui; Bloor, Juliette M G

2017-12-01

Previous studies have suggested that spatial nutrient heterogeneity promotes plant nutrient capture and growth. However, little is known about how spatial nutrient heterogeneity interacts with key community attributes to affect plant community production. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate how nitrogen heterogeneity effects vary with species richness and plant density. Effect size was calculated using the natural log of the ratio in plant biomass between heterogeneous and homogeneous conditions. Effect sizes were significantly above zero, reflecting positive effects of spatial nutrient heterogeneity on community production. However, species richness decreased the magnitude of heterogeneity effects on above-ground biomass. The magnitude of heterogeneity effects on below-ground biomass did not vary with species richness. Moreover, we detected no modification in heterogeneity effects with plant density. Our results highlight the importance of species richness for ecosystem function. Asynchrony between above- and below-ground responses to spatial nutrient heterogeneity and species richness could have significant implications for biotic interactions and biogeochemical cycling in the long term. © 2017 The Author(s).

Perceived effects of setting attributes on visitor experiences in wilderness: variation with situational context and visitor characteristics.

PubMed

Cole, David N; Hall, Troy E

2009-07-01

Understanding how setting attributes influence the nature of the visitor experience is crucial to effective recreation management. Highly influential attributes are useful indicators to monitor within a planning framework, such as Limits of Acceptable Change. This study sought to identify the setting attributes perceived to have the most profound effect on the ability to have "a real wilderness experience" and to assess the degree to which attribute importance varied with situational context and visitor characteristics. To this end, exiting hikers were surveyed at moderate and very high use trailheads in Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA (USA), and Three Sisters Wilderness, OR (USA). They were asked about the degree to which encountering varying levels of different setting attributes would add to or detract from their experience. Attributes with the largest range of effect on experience, based on evaluations of different levels, were considered most important. The most influential attributes were litter and several types of campsite interaction--people walking through camp and number of other groups camping close by. The perceived importance of setting attributes did not vary much between wilderness locations with substantially different use levels, suggesting that conclusions are robust and generalizable across wilderness areas. There also was little difference in the perceptions of day and overnight visitors. In contrast, we found substantial variation in the perceived importance of setting attributes with variation in wilderness experience, knowledge, attachment, and motivation. Our results validate the emphasis of many wilderness management plans on indicators of social interaction, such as number of encounters.

Max-margin multiattribute learning with low-rank constraint.

PubMed

Zhang, Qiang; Chen, Lin; Li, Baoxin

2014-07-01

Attribute learning has attracted a lot of interests in recent years for its advantage of being able to model high-level concepts with a compact set of midlevel attributes. Real-world objects often demand multiple attributes for effective modeling. Most existing methods learn attributes independently without explicitly considering their intrinsic relatedness. In this paper, we propose max margin multiattribute learning with low-rank constraint, which learns a set of attributes simultaneously, using only relative ranking of the attributes for the data. By learning all the attributes simultaneously through low-rank constraint, the proposed method is able to capture their intrinsic correlation for improved learning; by requiring only relative ranking, the method avoids restrictive binary labels of attributes that are often assumed by many existing techniques. The proposed method is evaluated on both synthetic data and real visual data including a challenging video data set. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Accounting Students' Perceptions of Effective Faculty Attributes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alfraih, Mishari M.; Alanezi, Faisal S.

2016-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to explore the attributes of an effective accounting faculty from the student perspective. It also examines similarities and differences in the perceived importance of these attributes between bachelor's and associate's accounting degree students in two public higher education institutions in Kuwait, namely, Kuwait…

Identifying student mental models from their response pattern to a physics multiple-choice test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montenegro Maggio, Maximiliano Jose

Previous work has shown that students present different misconceptions across different but similar physical situations, but the cause of these differences is still not clear. In this study, a novel analysis method was introduced to help to gain a better understanding of how different physical situations affect students' responses and learning. This novel analysis groups students into mental model groups (MMG) by similarities in their responses to multiple-choice test items, under the assumption that they have similar mental models. The Mass and Energy Conservation test was developed to probe the common misconception that objects with greater mass fall faster than objects with lesser mass across four physical situations and four knowledge sub-domains: information, dynamics, work, and energy. The test was applied before and after energy instruction to 144 college students in a large Midwestern university attending a calculus-based introductory physics course. Test time along with instruction and physical situation were the two factors. It was found that physical situation did not have a significant effect on mental models: The number of MMGs identified and the fraction of students belonging to the same MMG were not significantly different (p > .05) across physical situations. However, there was a significant effect of test time on mental models (p < .05): the fraction of students belonging to the same MMG changed from the pretest to the posttest, in that the MMG representing higher performance became predominant than the MMG with lower performance for the posttest results. A MANOVA for the average scores for each sub-domain and physical situation combination was applied to validate the previous results. It was found that a significant effect (p < .01) by physical situation resulted due to a lower average dynamics sub-domain score for the friction physical-situation attribute when compared to the no-friction physical-situation attribute. A significant effect (p < .01) was found for test time. This was due to an increase of the average energy sub-domain score from the pretest to the posttest. No significant interaction effect ( p > .05) was found. The MANOVA results obtained can be explained through the change in proportion of the MMGs present in the sample.

Changing US Attributes After CS-US Pairings Changes CS-Attribute-Assessments: Evidence for CS-US Associations in Attribute Conditioning.

PubMed

Förderer, Sabine; Unkelbach, Christian

2016-03-01

Attribute Conditioning (AC) refers to people's changed assessments of stimuli's (CSs) attributes due to repeated pairing with stimuli (USs) possessing these attributes; for example, when an athletic person (US) is paired with a neutral person (CS), the neutral person is judged to be more athletic after the pairing. We hypothesize that this AC effect is due to CSs' associations with USs rather than direct associations with attributes. Three experiments test this hypothesis by changing US attributes after CS-US pairings. Experiments 1 and 2 conditioned athleticism by pairing neutral men (CSs) with athletic and non-athletic USs. Post-conditioning, USs' athleticism was reversed, which systematically influenced participants' assessment of CS athleticism. Experiment 3 conditioned athleticism and changed USs' musicality after CS-US pairings. This post-conditioning change affected musicality assessments of CSs but did not influence athleticism-assessments. The results indicate that AC effects are based on an associative CS-US-attribute structure. © 2016 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

A reexamination of the effects of adsorbates on the Raman spectrum of gibbsite.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cunningham, K.W.; Goldberg, M.C.

1983-01-01

Previous workers have attributed substantial changes in the Raman intensities of the OH stretching bands in solid, powdered gibbsite of surface area 10 m2/g to surface interactions with the adsorbates 093Ca2+,HxPO43x- and SiO2.xH2O. These changes apparently resulted from an unsatisfactory Raman measurement procedure as a re-examination using an internal intensity standard (Na2C2O4 crystals) with gibbsite of surface area 39 m2/g showed no significant changes in the low-frequency band-height ratios of gibbsite and adsorbates.-D.J.M.

Addiction as a market failure: using rational addiction results to justify tobacco regulation.

PubMed

Laux, F L

2000-07-01

Tobacco regulation efforts have been criticized by some academic economists for failing to provide adequate welfare-analytic justification. This paper attempts to address these criticisms. Unlike previous research that has discussed second-hand smoke and health care financing externalities, this paper develops the logic for identifying the much larger market failures attributable to the failure of smokers to fully internalize the costs of their addictive behavior. The focus is on teen addiction as a form of "intrapersonal" externality and observed adult consumption behavior consistent with partial myopia. The importance of peer effects, in the consideration of welfare impacts, is also emphasized.

Cavitational kyphoplasty: a new technique for reducing the rates of cement extravasation through targeted low-pressure cement injection.

PubMed

Mattei, Tobias A

2017-06-01

Previous studies have demonstrated lower rates of cement extravasation when comparing balloon kyphoplasty with vertebroplasty, an effect attributed to the low-pressure injection. However, in patients with isolated endplate fractures, balloon kyphoplasty may lead to further endplate damage and increased risks of intradiscal extravasation. The author provides a stepwise description of a new technique called cavitational kyphoplasty that allows targeted low-pressure cement injection without the necessity of balloon inflation. The new technique of cavitational kyphoplasty has been shown to be specially useful in patients with isolated endplate fractures without significant loss of the vertebral body height.

Pulmonary hypertension in systemic lupus erythematosus: report of four cases and review of the literature

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perez, H.D.; Kramer, N.

1981-08-01

Pulmonary hypertension has been reported rarely in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). During the past 31/2 yr we have observed pulmonary hypertension as a major clinical manifestation of their disease in four of 43 patients with well-documented SLE followed at out institution. Pulmonary hypertension could be attributed to underlying lung disease in three and was considered to be primary in the remaining patient. Neither hydralazine nor prednisone administration had any effect on the course of the pulmonary hypertension in these patients. The presence of pulmonary hypertension in the course of active SLE may be more common than previously recognized.

Thermodynamic properties of gases dissolved in electrolyte solutions.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tiepel, E. W.; Gubbins, K. E.

1973-01-01

A method based on perturbation theory for mixtures is applied to the prediction of thermodynamic properties of gases dissolved in electrolyte solutions. The theory is compared with experimental data for the dependence of the solute activity coefficient on concentration, temperature, and pressure; calculations are included for partial molal enthalpy and volume of the dissolved gas. The theory is also compared with previous theories for salt effects and found to be superior. The calculations are best for salting-out systems. The qualitative feature of salting-in is predicted by the theory, but quantitative predictions are not satisfactory for such systems; this is attributed to approximations made in evaluating the perturbation terms.

Attributional style and depressive symptoms in a male prison sample.

PubMed

O'Sullivan, Danny J; O'Sullivan, Maura E; O'Connell, Brendan D; O'Reilly, Ken; Sarma, Kiran M

2018-01-01

The reformulated learned helplessness model proposes that people who tend to make internal, stable, and global attributions in response to uncontrollable aversive events are more likely to develop depression. The present study sought to investigate the nature of the relationship between attributional style and depression in a male prison sample. One hundred and one adult male prisoners from four medium security prisons in Ireland completed the Attributional Style Questionnaire and measures of depression (BDI-II) and anxiety (BAI). Severity of self-reported depressive symptoms in the present sample was comparable to other prison and clinical samples, but higher than community samples. Participants were more severely affected by depressive symptoms than anxiety. The original attributional dimensions (i.e. internal, stable, and global) predicted a significant amount of variance in depression, but the model was not significant after controlling for anxiety. A subsequent regression model, comprising attributional dimensions for both negative events and positive events including a measure of 'uncontrollability', accounted for 35% of the variance in depression and the model retained significance while controlling for anxiety. An attributional model of depression may be relevant to the prison population and could provide a valid insight into the development and treatment of depressive symptoms in prisoners. The findings are interpreted in relation to previous research and implications for theory, clinical practice, and rehabilitation are discussed.

Attributional style and depressive symptoms in a male prison sample

PubMed Central

O’Sullivan, Danny J.; O’Sullivan, Maura E.; O’Connell, Brendan D.; O’Reilly, Ken; Sarma, Kiran M.

2018-01-01

The reformulated learned helplessness model proposes that people who tend to make internal, stable, and global attributions in response to uncontrollable aversive events are more likely to develop depression. The present study sought to investigate the nature of the relationship between attributional style and depression in a male prison sample. One hundred and one adult male prisoners from four medium security prisons in Ireland completed the Attributional Style Questionnaire and measures of depression (BDI-II) and anxiety (BAI). Severity of self-reported depressive symptoms in the present sample was comparable to other prison and clinical samples, but higher than community samples. Participants were more severely affected by depressive symptoms than anxiety. The original attributional dimensions (i.e. internal, stable, and global) predicted a significant amount of variance in depression, but the model was not significant after controlling for anxiety. A subsequent regression model, comprising attributional dimensions for both negative events and positive events including a measure of ‘uncontrollability’, accounted for 35% of the variance in depression and the model retained significance while controlling for anxiety. An attributional model of depression may be relevant to the prison population and could provide a valid insight into the development and treatment of depressive symptoms in prisoners. The findings are interpreted in relation to previous research and implications for theory, clinical practice, and rehabilitation are discussed. PMID:29444084

Associative false consumer memory: effects of need for cognition and encoding task.

PubMed

Parker, Andrew; Dagnall, Neil

2018-04-01

Two experiments investigated the effects of product-attribute associations on false consumer memory. In both experiments, subjects were presented with sets of related product attributes under incidental encoding conditions. Later, recognition memory was tested with studied attributes, non-studied but associated attributes (critical lures) and non-studied unrelated attributes. In Experiment 1, the effect of Need for Cognition (NFC) was assessed. It was found that individuals high in NFC recognised more presented attributes and falsely recognised more associative critical lures. The increase in both true and associative false memory was accompanied by a greater number of responses that index the retrieval of detailed episodic-like information. Experiment 2, replicated the main findings through an experimental manipulation of the encoding task that required subjects to consider purchase likelihood. Explanations for these findings are considered from the perspective of activation processes and knowledge structures in the form of gist-based representations.

Event attribution: Human influence on the record-breaking cold event in January of 2016 in Eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, C.; Wang, J.; Dong, S.; Yin, H.; Burke, C.; Ciavarella, A.; Dong, B.; Freychet, N.; Lott, F. C.; Tett, S. F.

2017-12-01

It is controversial whether Asian mid-latitude cold surges are becoming more likely as a consequence of Arctic warming. Here, we present an event attribution study in mid-latitude Eastern China. A strong cold surge occurred during 21st-25th January 2016 affecting most areas of China, especially Eastern China. Daily minimum temperature (Tmin) records were broken at many stations. The area averaged anomaly of Tmin over the region (20-44N, 100-124E) for this pentad was the lowest temperature recorded since modern meteorological observations started in 1960. This cold event occurred in a background of the warmest winter Tmin since 1960. Given the vast damages caused by this extreme cold event in Eastern China and the previous mentioned controversy, it is compelling to investigate how much anthropogenic forcing agents have affected the probability of cold events with an intensity equal to or larger than the January 2016 extreme event. We use the Met Office Hadley Centre system for Attribution of extreme weather and Climate Events and station observations to investigate the effect of anthropogenic forcings on the likelihood of such a cold event. Anthropogenic influences are estimated to have reduced the likelihood of an extreme cold event in mid-winter with the intensity equal to or stronger than the record of 2016 in Eastern China by about 2/3.

Negative Emotion Does Not Modulate Rapid Feature Integration Effects

PubMed Central

Trübutschek, Darinka; Egner, Tobias

2012-01-01

Emotional arousal at encoding is known to facilitate later memory recall. In the present study, we asked whether this emotion-modulation of episodic memory is also evident at very short time scales, as measured by “feature integration effects,” the moment-by-moment binding of relevant stimulus and response features in episodic memory. This question was motivated by recent findings that negative emotion appears to potentiate first-order trial sequence effects in classic conflict tasks, which has been attributed to emotion-modulation of conflict-driven cognitive control processes. However, these effects could equally well have been carried by emotion-modulation of mnemonic feature binding processes, which were perfectly confounded with putative control processes in these studies. In the present experiments, we tried to shed light on this question by testing explicitly whether feature integration processes, assessed in isolation of conflict–control, are in fact susceptible to negative emotion-modulation. For this purpose, we adopted a standard protocol for assessing the rapid binding of stimulus and response features in episodic memory (Experiment 1) and paired it with the presentation of either neutral or fearful background face stimuli, shown either at encoding only (Experiment 2), or at both encoding and retrieval (Experiment 3). Whereas reliable feature integration effects were observed in all three experiments, no evidence for emotion-modulation of these effects was detected, in spite of significant effects of emotion on response times. These findings suggest that rapid feature integration of foreground stimulus and response features is not subject to modulation by negative emotional background stimuli and further suggest that previous reports of emotion-modulated trial–transition effects are likely attributable to the effects of emotion on cognitive control processes. PMID:22509172

Revisiting cognitive and learning styles in computer-assisted instruction: not so useful after all.

PubMed

Cook, David A

2012-06-01

In a previous systematic review, the author proposed that adaptation to learners' cognitive and learning styles (CLSs) could improve the efficiency of computer-assisted instruction (CAI). In the present article, he questions that proposition, arguing that CLSs do not make a substantive difference in CAI. To support this argument, the author performed an updated systematic literature search, pooled new findings with those from the previous review, and reinterpreted this evidence with a focus on aptitude-treatment interactions. (An aptitude-treatment interaction occurs when a student with attribute 1 learns better with instructional approach A than with approach B, whereas a student with attribute 2 learns better with instructional approach B).Of 65 analyses reported in 48 studies, only 9 analyses (14%) showed significant interactions between CLS and instructional approach. It seems that aptitude-treatment interactions with CLSs are at best infrequent and small in magnitude. There are several possible explanations for this lack of effect. First, the influence of strong instructional methods likely dominates the impact of CLSs. Second, current methods for assessing CLSs lack validity evidence and are inadequate to accurately characterize the individual learner. Third, theories are vague, and empiric evidence is virtually nonexistent to guide the planning of style-targeted instructional designs. Adaptation to learners' CLSs thus seems unlikely to enhance CAI. The author recommends that educators focus on employing strong instructional methods. Educators might also consider assessing and adapting to learners' prior knowledge or allowing learners to select among alternate instructional approaches.

Vigilance and iconic memory in children at high risk for alcoholism.

PubMed

Steinhauer, S R; Locke, J; Hill, S Y

1997-07-01

Previous studies report reduced visual event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes in young males at high risk for alcoholism. These findings could involve difficulties at several stages of visual processing. This study was aimed at examining vigilance performance and iconic memory functions in children at high risk or low risk for alcoholism. Sustained vigilance and retrieval from iconic memory were evaluated in 54 (29 male) white children at high risk and 47 (25 male) white children at low risk for developing alcoholism. Children were also grouped according to gender and age (younger: 8-12 years; older: 13-18 years). No differences is visual sensitivity, response criterion or reaction time were associated with risk status on the degraded visual stimulus version of the Continuous Performance Test. For the Span of Apprehension, no differences were found due to risk status when only 1 or 5 distractors were presented, although with 9 distractors a significant effect of risk status was found when it was tested as an interaction with gender and age (decreased accuracy for older high-risk boys compared to older low-risk boys). These findings suggest that ERP deviations are not attributable to stages of visual processing deficits, but represent difficulty involving more complex utilization of information. Implications of these results are that the differences between high- and low-risk children that have been reported previously for visual ERP components (e.g., P300) are not attributable to deficits of attentional or iconic memory mechanisms.

The Caspian Sea Negotiation Support System 2.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rouhani, O. M.; Madani, K.

2012-12-01

The Caspian Sea is one of the most resourceful (both in energy and biological resources) areas of the world. The share allocation of Caspian Sea has been the subject of many disputes. Up to now, the negotiations to reach an agreement regarding the ownership status of the sea have not been completely successful. To facilitate reaching an agreement among littoral countries, research studies can provide valuable information. Researchers should examine different options for dividing the sea closely and determine the benefits of each of the options for the parties involved. Following an earlier effort, Caspian Sea Negotiation Support System is further developed in this regard. The model estimates countries' areal and utility shares under different legal methods/scenarios, attempting to minimize transportation costs of exploiting the resource. The applied model is more efficient than the earlier model and the used data includes more variables/attributes such as depth, the differentiation between gas and oil, and various fish resources than the previously employed data. Consequently, the estimates are calculated in more details than are calculated in the earlier study. The results still show a high sensitivity of outputs to the proposed division rules, suggesting a need to clarify the countries' utility and areal shares under any suggested legal regime. Compared to the previous results, the new results confirm the significant effect of the addition of the more variables/attributes to the analysis, in terms of the areal shares and allocations, valuation of resources, and asset management.

Who Is to Blame? Framing HPV to Influence Vaccination Intentions among College Students.

PubMed

Vorpahl, McKenzie M; Yang, Janet Z

2018-05-01

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) among college students. Although previous research has studied HPV-related health communication strategies using various framing techniques, the goal of this study is to test how two unique message frames-whether mentioning HPV as an STI and whether to attribute the cause of infection as external or internal-would influence young adults' intentions to receive the recommended HPV vaccine. Results indicate that gender and causal attribution framing influenced participants' intentions to receive the HPV vaccine.

On the universality of the attribution-affect model of helping.

PubMed

Reisenzein, Rainer

2015-08-01

Although Pilati et al.'s (2014) findings question the strong quantitative universality of the attribution-affect model of helping, they are consistent with a weak form of quantitative universality, as well as with the qualitative universality of the theory. However, universality is put into question by previous studies revealing significant and sizeable between-study differences in the strength of the causal paths postulated by the theory. These differences may in part reflect differences in the type of helping situations studied. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

The combined effects of storage temperature and packaging on the sensory, chemical, and physical properties of a Cabernet Sauvignon wine.

PubMed

Hopfer, Helene; Buffon, Peter A; Ebeler, Susan E; Heymann, Hildegarde

2013-04-03

A Californian Cabernet Sauvignon was stored for 6 months at three different constant temperatures to study the combined effects of storage temperature and packaging configuration. Glass bottles with natural cork, synthetic cork, and screw cap closure, as well as two Bag-in-Box treatments, were used in the experiment. A trained sensory panel was able to detect significant changes in aroma, flavor, taste, mouthfeel, and color attributes among the samples, differences that were found also with various chemical and physical measurements (volatile profile, polyphenol pattern, enological parameters, color space). Additionally, two commonly used polyphenol assays were compared to each other in terms of their ability to detect the changes in the polyphenol profile. Generally, sample changes were more pronounced due to the different storage temperatures, with 30 sensory attributes differing significantly among the three different storage temperatures, while only 17 sensory attributes showed a significant packaging effect. With increasing storage temperature the packaging effect became more pronounced, resulting in the largest changes in the Bag-in-Box samples stored at the highest temperature of 40 °C. At the highest storage temperature, all wines showed oxidized characters, independent of the wine packaging configurations, but to a varying degree. Generally, wines that received highest oxygen amounts and storage temperatures were much lighter, less red, and more brown-yellow at the end of the 6-month storage period, compared to their counterparts stored at 10 °C. These changes in color and polyphenols, respectively, were also detected with the two spectrophotometric assays. With increasing storage temperature both assays measured reduced concentrations in total phenols and total anthocyanins, while total tannins, degree of ionized anthocyanins, and color density increased. Various volatile compounds differed significantly among the samples, with largest relative concentration changes in acetates, organic acids, and alcohols, in good agreement with previous literature reports, with some being well correlated to specific sensory attributes too; for example, various acetates correlated to cherry and fruit aromas and flavors. The study shows that storage at elevated temperatures could be a valuable tool for wine packaging screening and testing new and improved wine packaging types under the worst conditions, which are unfortunately not unrealistic.

Teacher Judgment, Student Motivation, and the Mediating Effect of Attributions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Ji; Urhahne, Detlef

2013-01-01

Based on Weiner's attributional theory of intrapersonal motivation, the mediating effect of attributions between teacher judgment and student motivation was examined. In two studies, 144 German and 272 Chinese fourth-grade elementary school students were tested on their mathematical achievement, causal ascriptions for success and failure,…

An Agent-Based Intervention to Assist Drivers Under Stereotype Threat: Effects of In-Vehicle Agents' Attributional Error Feedback.

PubMed

Joo, Yeon Kyoung; Lee-Won, Roselyn J

2016-10-01

For members of a group negatively stereotyped in a domain, making mistakes can aggravate the influence of stereotype threat because negative stereotypes often blame target individuals and attribute the outcome to their lack of ability. Virtual agents offering real-time error feedback may influence performance under stereotype threat by shaping the performers' attributional perception of errors they commit. We explored this possibility with female drivers, considering the prevalence of the "women-are-bad-drivers" stereotype. Specifically, we investigated how in-vehicle voice agents offering error feedback based on responsibility attribution (internal vs. external) and outcome attribution (ability vs. effort) influence female drivers' performance under stereotype threat. In addressing this question, we conducted an experiment in a virtual driving simulation environment that provided moment-to-moment error feedback messages. Participants performed a challenging driving task and made mistakes preprogrammed to occur. Results showed that the agent's error feedback with outcome attribution moderated the stereotype threat effect on driving performance. Participants under stereotype threat had a smaller number of collisions when the errors were attributed to effort than to ability. In addition, outcome attribution feedback moderated the effect of responsibility attribution on driving performance. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Cancer incidence attributable to lifestyle and environmental factors in Alberta in 2012: summary of results

PubMed Central

Grundy, Anne; Poirier, Abbey E.; Khandwala, Farah; Grevers, Xin; Friedenreich, Christine M.; Brenner, Darren R.

2017-01-01

Background: Estimates of the proportion of cancer cases that can be attributed to modifiable risk factors are not available for Canada and, more specifically, Alberta. The purpose of this study was to estimate the total proportion of cancer cases in Alberta in 2012 that could be attributed to a set of 24 modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors. Methods: We estimated summary population attributable risk estimates for 24 risk factors (smoking [both passive and active], overweight and obesity, inadequate physical activity, diet [inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, inadequate fibre intake, excess red and processed meat consumption, salt consumption, inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake], alcohol, hormones [oral contraceptives and hormone therapy], infections [Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, human papillomavirus, Helicobacter pylori], air pollution, natural and artificial ultraviolet radiation, radon and water disinfection by-products) by combining population attributable risk estimates for each of the 24 factors that had been previously estimated. To account for the possibility that individual cancer cases were the result of a combination of multiple risk factors, we subtracted the population attributable risk for the first factor from 100% and then applied the population attributable risk for the second factor to the remaining proportion that was not attributable to the first factor. We repeated this process in sequential order for all relevant exposures. Results: Overall, an estimated 40.8% of cancer cases in Alberta in 2012 were attributable to modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors. The largest proportion of cancers were estimated to be attributable to tobacco smoking, physical inactivity and excess body weight. The summary population attributable risk estimate was slightly higher among women (42.4%) than among men (38.7%). Interpretation: About 41% of cancer cases in Alberta may be attributable to known modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors. Reducing the prevalence of these factors in the Alberta population has the potential to substantially reduce the provincial cancer burden. PMID:28687643

Effects of retrieval practice on consumer memory for brand attributes.

PubMed

Parker, Andrew; Dagnall, Neil

2007-08-01

The effect of retrieval practice on memory for brand attributes was examined. Participants were presented with advertisements for fictional products so each contained a number of brand attributes relating to the nature of the product and its qualities. Following this, participants practiced recalling a subset of those attributes either 3 or 6 times. The act of retrieving some brand information inhibited the recall of other brand information that was not practiced, but only when repeated retrieval practice took place 6 times. This is the first demonstration of inhibitory effects in consumers' memory using the retrieval practice paradigm.

Effect of AMOC collapse on ENSO in a high resolution general circulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williamson, Mark S.; Collins, Mat; Drijfhout, Sybren S.; Kahana, Ron; Mecking, Jennifer V.; Lenton, Timothy M.

2018-04-01

We look at changes in the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in a high-resolution eddy-permitting climate model experiment in which the Atlantic Meridional Circulation (AMOC) is switched off using freshwater hosing. The ENSO mode is shifted eastward and its period becomes longer and more regular when the AMOC is off. The eastward shift can be attributed to an anomalous eastern Ekman transport in the mean equatorial Pacific ocean state. Convergence of this transport deepens the thermocline in the eastern tropical Pacific and increases the temperature anomaly relaxation time, causing increased ENSO period. The anomalous Ekman transport is caused by a surface northerly wind anomaly in response to the meridional sea surface temperature dipole that results from switching the AMOC off. In contrast to a previous study with an earlier version of the model, which showed an increase in ENSO amplitude in an AMOC off experiment, here the amplitude remains the same as in the AMOC on control state. We attribute this difference to variations in the response of decreased stochastic forcing in the different models, which competes with the reduced damping of temperature anomalies. In the new high-resolution model, these effects approximately cancel resulting in no change in amplitude.

Effects on reproduction in female offspring from Sprague-Dawley rats fed 10% snakeweed (Gutierrezia microcephala) throughout pregnancy and concurrent treatment with safflower oil.

PubMed

Staley, E C; Smith, G S; Greenberg, J A

1995-10-01

Previous studies determined that safflower oil administration provided protection against the embryotoxicity seen following ingestion of 10% snakeweed (Gutierrezia microcephala) throughout pregnancy. Sixty-two young primiparous female rats born in those studies were paired with adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. After 4 d they were removed and carried their litters to term. Observations were made of the presence and extent of reproductive effects attributable to the 10% snakeweed exposure and differences in fecundity that were attributable to dosing with safflower oil or normal saline during the snakeweed exposure. Of the 62 rats, 50 carried litters to term and approximated the reproductive efficiency of normal primiparous Sprague-Dawley rats. There was no significant difference between the fecundity of females born to rats fed the 10% snakeweed and dosed with safflower oil, those born of rats fed snakeweed dosed with normal saline, or those fed a snakeweed-free diet and dosed with normal saline. Regardless of the diet or treatment administered, dams carrying their litters to parturition gave birth to healthy, normo-reproductive offspring. While the toxic principles in Gutierrezia species plants may act as estrogenic or anti-estrogenic compounds, they did not impair fertility in the female offspring of dosed rats.

Estimation of Cancer Burden Attributable to Infection in Asia

PubMed Central

Huang, He; Hu, Xiao-Feng; Zhao, Fang-Hui; Garland, Suzanne M.; Bhatla, Neerja; Qiao, You-Lin

2015-01-01

Background Some infectious agents have been shown to be human carcinogens. The current study focused on estimation of cancer burden attributable to infection in different regions of Asia. Methods By systematically reviewing previous studies of the infection prevalence data of 13 countries in Asia and relative risks of specific cancers, we calculated the population attributable fraction of carcinogenic infections. Using data from GLOBOCAN 2012, the overall country-specific and gender-specific number of new cancer cases and deaths resulting from infection were estimated. Results Across 13 principal Asian countries, the average prevalence and range was 6.6% (0.5% in Japanese women to 15.0% in Vietnamese men) for hepatitis B virus (HBV), 2.6% (0.3% in Iran to 5.1% in Saudi Arabia) for hepatitis C virus (HCV), 7.9% (2.8% in Pakistan to 17.7% in China) for human papillomavirus (HPV), and 61.8% (12.8% in Indonesia to 91.7% in Bangladesh) for Helicobacter pylori (HP). The estimated total number of cancer cases and deaths caused by infection in these 13 countries were 1 212 026 (19.6% of all new cancer cases) and 908 549 (22.0% of all deaths from cancer). The fractions of cancer incidence attributable to infection were 19.7% and 19.5% in men and women, respectively. The percentages of cancer deaths attributable to infection were 21.9% and 22.1% in men and women, respectively. Among the main infectious agents, HP was responsible for 31.5% of infection-related cancer cases and 32.8% of infection-related cancer deaths, followed by HBV (28.6% of new cases and 23.8% of deaths), HPV (22.0% of new cases and 27.3% of deaths), and HCV (12.2% of new cases and 10.6% of deaths). Conclusions Approximately one quarter of all cancer cases and deaths were infection-associated in Asia, which could be effectively prevented if appropriate long-term controls of infectious agents were applied. PMID:26399446

Parental aggression as a predictor of boys’ hostile attribution across the transition to middle school

PubMed Central

Yaros, Anna; Lochman, John E.; Wells, Karen C.

2015-01-01

Aggression among youth is public health problem that is often studied in the context of how youth interpret social information. Social cognitive factors, especially hostile attribution biases, have been identified as risk factors for the development of youth aggression, particularly across the transition to middle school. Parental behaviors, including parental aggression to children in the form of corporal punishment and other aggressive behavior, have also been linked to aggressive behavior in children at these ages. Despite the important role played by these two risk factors, the connection between the two has not been fully studied in the literature. This study examined the link between parental aggression and children’ hostile attributions longitudinally among a diverse sample of 123 boys as they entered middle school. Results support acceptance of a model in which parental aggression to children prior to entering middle school predicted children’s hostile attributions after the transition to middle school above and beyond that which was predicted by previous levels of hostile attributions. As expected, hostile attributions also predicted change in parent- and teacher-rated child aggression. These findings provides important evidence of the role that parental behavior plays in youth social cognition at this critical age, which has implications for understanding the development of aggressive behavior. PMID:27647945

Causal attributions in Brazilian children's reasoning about health and illness.

PubMed

Boruchovitch, E; Mednick, B R

2000-10-01

At a time when a great number of diseases can be prevented by changing one's habits and life style, investigations have focused on understanding what adults and children believe to be desirable health practices and uncovering the factors associated with successful adherence to such practices. For these, causal attributions for health and illness were investigated among 96 Brazilian elementary school students. Ninety six subjects, aged 6 to 14, were interviewed individually and their causal attributions were assessed through 14 true-false items (e.g. people stay well [healthy] because they are lucky). The relationship between the children's causal attributions and demographic characteristics were also examined. Overall, the results were consistent with previous researches. "Taking care of oneself" was considered the most important cause of good health. "Viruses and germs" and "lack of self-care" were the most selected causes of illness. Analyses revealed significant relationship between subjects' causal attribution and their age, school grade level, socioeconomic status and gender. The study findings suggest that there may be more cross-cultural similarities than differences in children's causal attributions for health and illness. Finding ways to help individuals engage in appropriate preventive-maintenance health practices without developing an exaggerated notion that the individuals can control their own health and illness is a challenge which remains to be addressed by further research.

Power bases and attribution in three cultures.

PubMed

Alanazi, Falah M; Rodrigues, Aroldo

2003-06-01

The authors used a Saudi context to verify the cross-cultural generality of findings (A. Rodrigues & K. L. Lloyd, 1998) reported for U.S. and Brazilian samples in which compliant behavior caused by reward, informational, and referent influences was perceived as more controllable and more internal than compliant behavior resulting from legitimate, expert, and coercive influences. This differential attribution led, in turn, to different affective and behavioral responses. In the present study, cognitive and affective reactions of Saudi students were measured with regard to compliant behavior (leading to a good outcome or a bad outcome) caused by each of the 6 bases of power described by B. H. Raven (1965). As expected, power bases had significant effects. However, when the outcome of the compliant behavior was bad, compliant behavior caused by a coercive influence led to the perception of more internality and controllability. Also--and not found in previous studies--the perception of less internality and controllability of compliant behavior was caused by an informational influence. Findings are discussed in the light of related research and Saudi cultural characteristics.

Hypoglycemia associated with oleander toxicity in a dog.

PubMed

Page, C; Murtaugh, R J

2015-03-01

Oleander poisoning typically results in cardiac arrhythmias, hyperkalemia, and gastrointestinal irritation, and can be fatal. Oleander extracts have also been studied experimentally as hypoglycemic agents. Here, we describe a dog with confirmed oleander toxicosis presenting with classical symptoms and also hypoglycemia. After excluding other likely causes of hypoglycemia, the finding was attributed to oleander toxicosis, which has not been previously reported in dogs. A 7-year-old female spayed Maltese was presented to the emergency service after ingesting oleander leaves. Toxicosis was confirmed by measurement of digoxin using a competitive binding immunoassay, patient level 0.7 ng/mL (0.9 nmol/L) 24-h post-ingestion. Clinical symptoms included vomiting, cardiac arrhythmia, mild hyperkalemia, and hypoglycemia. Treatment was successful with aggressive supportive care, and the dog was discharged from the hospital after 48 h and made a full recovery. This case reviews the presentation and treatment of oleander toxicity but also highlights possible effects of oleander on blood sugar in dogs. Hypoglycemia in this dog, attributed to oleander poisoning, is interesting as it supports experimental research into hypoglycemic properties of oleander extracts.

Volume Based Curvature Attributes Illuminate Stress Effects in Contiguous Fault Blocks, Central Basin Platform, West Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blumentritt, C. H.; Marfurt, K. J.

2005-05-01

We compute curvatures for 3-D seismic volumes covering 200+ mi2 of the Central Basin Platform in West Texas and find that these attributes illumination lineations not seen on other displays of the seismic data. We analyze the preferred orientations of these lineations defined by well imaged faults and fault zones and find that the patterns vary according to the nature of the faults bounding the blocks, mostly strike-slip, high angle reverse, or oblique slip. We perform the analysis in the pre-Mississippian section which is decoupled from the overburden by a Permian age unconformity. Our technique differs from that of previous workers in that we compute curvatures on each sample of a seismic volume using a moving subvolume rather than along surfaces interpreted from the data. In this way, we minimize high frequency variations in the results that arise from picking errors in the interpretation or noise in the data. We are able to extract and display values of curvature along time or depth slices, along horizon slices, and along poorly imaged horizons.

End-State Comfort Across the Lifespan: A Cross-Sectional Investigation of How Movement Context Influences Motor Planning in an Overturned Glass Task.

PubMed

Scharoun, Sara M; Gonzalez, David A; Roy, Eric A; Bryden, Pamela J

2018-04-01

Young adults plan actions in advance to minimize the cost of movement. This is exemplified by the end-state comfort (ESC) effect. A pattern of improvement in ESC in children is linked to the development of cognitive control processes, and decline in older adults is attributed to cognitive decline. This study used a cross-sectional design to examine how movement context (pantomime, demonstration with image/glass as a guide, actual grasping) influences between-hand differences in ESC planning. Children (5- to 12-year-olds), young adults, and two groups of older adults (aged 60-70, and aged 71 and older) were assessed. Findings provide evidence for adult-like patterns of ESC in 8-year-olds. Results are attributed to improvements in proprioceptive acuity and proficiency in generating and implementing internal representations of action. For older adults early in the aging process, sensitivity to ESC did not differ from young adults. However, with increasing age, differences reflect challenges in motor planning with increases in cognitive demand, similar to previous work. Findings have implications for understanding lifespan motor behavior.

Edge magnetism of Heisenberg model on honeycomb lattice.

PubMed

Huang, Wen-Min; Hikihara, Toshiya; Lee, Yen-Chen; Lin, Hsiu-Hau

2017-03-07

Edge magnetism in graphene sparks intense theoretical and experimental interests. In the previous study, we demonstrated the existence of collective excitations at the zigzag edge of the honeycomb lattice with long-ranged Néel order. By employing the Schwinger-boson approach, we show that the edge magnons remain robust even when the long-ranged order is destroyed by spin fluctuations. Furthermore, in the effective field-theory limit, the dynamics of the edge magnon is captured by the one-dimensional relativistic Klein-Gordon equation. It is intriguing that the boundary field theory for the edge magnon is tied up with its bulk counterpart. By performing density-matrix renormalization group calculations, we show that the robustness may be attributed to the closeness between the ground state and the Néel state. The existence of edge magnon is not limited to the honeycomb structure, as demonstrated in the rotated-square lattice with zigzag edges as well. The universal behavior indicates that the edge magnons may attribute to the uncompensated edges and can be detected in many two-dimensional materials.

Sharp Eccentric Rings in Planetless Hydrodynamical Models of Debris Disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyra, W.; Kuchner, M. J.

2013-01-01

Exoplanets are often associated with disks of dust and debris, analogs of the Kuiper Belt in our solar system. These "debris disks" show a variety of non-trivial structures attributed to planetary perturbations and utilized to constrain the properties of the planets. However, analyses of these systems have largely ignored the fact that, increasingly, debris disks are found to contain small quantities of gas, a component all debris disks should contain at some level. Several debris disks have been measured with a dust-to-gas ratio around unity where the effect of hydrodynamics on the structure of the disk cannot be ignored. Here we report that dust-gas interactions can produce some of the key patterns seen in debris disks that were previously attributed to planets. Through linear and nonlinear modeling of the hydrodynamical problem, we find that a robust clumping instability exists in this configuration, organizing the dust into narrow, eccentric rings, similar to the Fomalhaut debris disk. The hypothesis that these disks might contain planets, though thrilling, is not necessarily required to explain these systems.

Residential energy use emissions dominate health impacts from exposure to ambient particulate matter in India.

PubMed

Conibear, Luke; Butt, Edward W; Knote, Christoph; Arnold, Stephen R; Spracklen, Dominick V

2018-02-12

Exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is a leading contributor to diseases in India. Previous studies analysing emission source attributions were restricted by coarse model resolution and limited PM 2.5 observations. We use a regional model informed by new observations to make the first high-resolution study of the sector-specific disease burden from ambient PM 2.5 exposure in India. Observed annual mean PM 2.5 concentrations exceed 100 μg m -3 and are well simulated by the model. We calculate that the emissions from residential energy use dominate (52%) population-weighted annual mean PM 2.5 concentrations, and are attributed to 511,000 (95UI: 340,000-697,000) premature mortalities annually. However, removing residential energy use emissions would avert only 256,000 (95UI: 162,000-340,000), due to the non-linear exposure-response relationship causing health effects to saturate at high PM 2.5 concentrations. Consequently, large reductions in emissions will be required to reduce the health burden from ambient PM 2.5 exposure in India.

GM2 gangliosidosis in Saudi Arabia: multiple mutations and considerations for future carrier screening.

PubMed

Kaya, Namik; Al-Owain, Mohammad; Abudheim, Nada; Al-Zahrani, Jawaher; Colak, Dilek; Al-Sayed, Moeen; Milanlioglu, Aysel; Ozand, Pinar T; Alkuraya, Fowzan S

2011-06-01

The GM2 gangliosidose, Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, are a class of lysosomal storage diseases in which relentless neurodegeneration results in devastating neurological disability and premature death. Primary prevention is the most effective intervention since no effective therapy is currently available. An extremely successful model for the prevention of GM2 gangliosidosis in the Ashkenazi Jewish community is largely attributable to the very limited number of founder mutations in that population. Consistent with our previous observation of allelic heterogeneity in consanguineous populations, we show here that these diseases are largely caused by private mutations which present a major obstacle in replicating the Ashkenazi success story. Alternative solutions are proposed which can also be implemented for other autosomal recessive diseases in our population. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Empathy, culture and self-humanising: Empathising reduces the attribution of greater humanness to the self more in Japan than Australia.

PubMed

Park, Joonha; Haslam, Nick; Kashima, Yoshi; Norasakkunkit, Vinai

2016-08-01

People tend to ascribe greater humanness to themselves than to others. Previous research has indicated that this "self-humanising" bias is independent of self-enhancement and robust across cultures. The present study examined the possible role of empathy in reducing this bias in Japan (N = 80) and Australia (N = 80). Results showed that unlike Australians, Japanese participants who recalled personal experiences of empathising with others were less likely to self-humanise than those in a neutral condition. The effect of the empathy manipulation was not observed in Australia. The findings suggest that empathy may reduce self-focus and enable perceivers to appreciate the full humanness of others, but this effect may be culturally contingent. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Discovery of lake-effect clouds on Titan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, M.E.; Schaller, E.L.; Roe, H.G.; Chen, C.; Roberts, J.; Brown, R.H.; Baines, K.H.; Clark, R.N.

2009-01-01

Images from instruments on Cassini as well as from telescopes on the ground reveal the presence of sporadic small-scale cloud activity in the cold late-winter north polar region of Saturn's large moon Titan. These clouds lie underneath the previously discovered uniform polar cloud attributed to a quiescent ethane cloud at ???40 km and appear confined to the same latitudes as those of the largest known hydrocarbon lakes at the north pole of Titan. The physical properties of these clouds suggest that they are due to methane convection and condensation. Such convection could be caused by a process in some ways analogous to terrestrial lake-effect clouds. The lakes on Titan could be a key connection between the surface and the meteorological cycle. ?? 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

A new method for selectively enhancing hemisphere processing: voice frequency amplification influences the strength of attribute framing.

PubMed

McCormick, Michael; Seta, John J

2012-01-01

An attribute framing effect occurs when positive or negative associations produced by positive or negative frames are mapped onto evaluations resulting in a more favourable evaluation for the positively framed attribute. We used a new voice frequency manipulation to differentially enhance right versus left hemisphere processing. In doing so we found a strong attribute framing effect when a speaker with a low-frequency voice enhanced the contextual processing style of the right hemisphere. However, a framing effect was not obtained when a speaker with a high-frequency voice enhanced the inferential/analytical processing style of the left hemisphere. At the theoretical level our results provide evidence that the contextual processing style of the right hemisphere is especially susceptible to associative implications, such as those found in attribute framing manipulations. At the applied level we provide a simple method for altering the effectiveness of persuasion messages.

Mental state attribution and the gaze cueing effect.

PubMed

Cole, Geoff G; Smith, Daniel T; Atkinson, Mark A

2015-05-01

Theory of mind is said to be possessed by an individual if he or she is able to impute mental states to others. Recently, some authors have demonstrated that such mental state attributions can mediate the "gaze cueing" effect, in which observation of another individual shifts an observer's attention. One question that follows from this work is whether such mental state attributions produce mandatory modulations of gaze cueing. Employing the basic gaze cueing paradigm, together with a technique commonly used to assess mental-state attribution in nonhuman animals, we manipulated whether the gazing agent could see the same thing as the participant (i.e., the target) or had this view obstructed by a physical barrier. We found robust gaze cueing effects, even when the observed agent in the display could not see the same thing as the participant. These results suggest that the attribution of "seeing" does not necessarily modulate the gaze cueing effect.

Individuals with currently untreated mental illness: causal beliefs and readiness to seek help.

PubMed

Stolzenburg, S; Freitag, S; Evans-Lacko, S; Speerforck, S; Schmidt, S; Schomerus, G

2018-01-16

Many people with mental illness do not seek professional help. Beliefs about the causes of their current health problem seem relevant for initiating treatment. Our aim was to find out to what extent the perceived causes of current untreated mental health problems determine whether a person considers herself/himself as having a mental illness, perceives need for professional help and plans to seek help in the near future. In a cross-sectional study, we examined 207 untreated persons with a depressive syndrome, all fulfilling criteria for a current mental illness as confirmed with a structured diagnostic interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview). The sample was recruited in the community using adverts, flyers and social media. We elicited causal explanations for the present problem, depression literacy, self-identification as having a mental illness, perceived need for professional help, help-seeking intentions, severity of depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression), and whether respondents had previously sought mental healthcare. Most participants fulfilled diagnostic criteria for a mood disorder (n = 181, 87.4%) and/or neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (n = 120, 58.0%) according to the ICD-10. N = 94 (45.4%) participants had never received mental health treatment previously. Exploratory factor analysis of a list of 25 different causal explanations resulted in five factors: biomedical causes, person-related causes, childhood trauma, current stress and unhealthy behaviour. Attributing the present problem to biomedical causes, person-related causes, childhood trauma and stress were all associated with stronger self-identification as having a mental illness. In persons who had never received mental health treatment previously, attribution to biomedical causes was related to greater perceived need and stronger help-seeking intentions. In those with treatment experience, lower attribution to person-related causes and stress were related to greater perceived need for professional help. While several causal explanations are associated with self-identification as having a mental illness, only biomedical attributions seem to be related to increase perceived need and help-seeking intentions, especially in individuals with no treatment experiences. Longitudinal studies investigating causal beliefs and help-seeking are needed to find out how causal attributions guide help-seeking behaviour. From this study it seems possible that portraying professional mental health treatment as not being restricted to biomedical problems would contribute to closing the treatment gap for mental disorders.

Prioritization of Potential Mates' History of Sexual Fidelity During a Conjoint Ranking Task.

PubMed

Mogilski, Justin K; Wade, T Joel; Welling, Lisa L M

2014-07-01

This series of studies is the first to use conjoint analysis to examine how individuals make trade-offs during mate selection when provided information about a partner's history of sexual infidelity. Across three studies, participants ranked profiles of potential mates, with each profile varying across five attributes: financial stability, physical attractiveness, sexual fidelity, emotional investment, and similarity. They also rated each attribute separately for importance in an ideal mate. Overall, we found that for a long-term mate, participants prioritized a potential partner's history of sexual fidelity over other attributes when profiles were ranked conjointly. For a short-term mate, sexual fidelity, physical attractiveness, and financial stability were equally important, and each was more important than emotional investment and similarity. These patterns contrast with participants' self-reported importance ratings of each individual attribute. Our results are interpreted within the context of previous literature examining how making trade-offs affect mate selection. © 2014 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Accounting for therapist variability in couple therapy outcomes: what really matters?

PubMed

Owen, Jesse; Duncan, Barry; Reese, Robert Jeff; Anker, Morten; Sparks, Jacqueline

2014-01-01

This study examined whether therapist gender, professional discipline, experience conducting couple therapy, and average second-session alliance score would account for the variance in outcomes attributed to the therapist. The authors investigated therapist variability in couple therapy with 158 couples randomly assigned to and treated by 18 therapists in a naturalistic setting. Consistent with previous studies in individual therapy, in this study therapists accounted for 8.0% of the variance in client outcomes and 10% of the variance in client alliance scores. Therapist average alliance score and experience conducting couple therapy were salient predictors of client outcomes attributed to therapist. In contrast, therapist gender and discipline did not significantly account for the variance in client outcomes attributed to therapists. Tests of incremental validity demonstrated that therapist average alliance score and therapist experience uniquely accounted for the variance in outcomes attributed to the therapist. Emphasis on improving therapist alliance quality and specificity of therapist experience in couple therapy are discussed.

Concurrent computation of attribute filters on shared memory parallel machines.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Michael H F; Gao, Hui; Hesselink, Wim H; Jonker, Jan-Eppo; Meijster, Arnold

2008-10-01

Morphological attribute filters have not previously been parallelized, mainly because they are both global and non-separable. We propose a parallel algorithm that achieves efficient parallelism for a large class of attribute filters, including attribute openings, closings, thinnings and thickenings, based on Salembier's Max-Trees and Min-trees. The image or volume is first partitioned in multiple slices. We then compute the Max-trees of each slice using any sequential Max-Tree algorithm. Subsequently, the Max-trees of the slices can be merged to obtain the Max-tree of the image. A C-implementation yielded good speed-ups on both a 16-processor MIPS 14000 parallel machine, and a dual-core Opteron-based machine. It is shown that the speed-up of the parallel algorithm is a direct measure of the gain with respect to the sequential algorithm used. Furthermore, the concurrent algorithm shows a speed gain of up to 72 percent on a single-core processor, due to reduced cache thrashing.

Distinguishing the time- and magnitude-difference accounts of the Simon effect: Evidence from the reach-to-touch paradigm.

PubMed

Finkbeiner, Matthew; Heathcote, Andrew

2016-04-01

A Simon effect occurs when the irrelevant spatial attributes of a stimulus conflict with choice responses based on non-spatial stimulus attributes. Many theories of the Simon effect assume that activation from task-irrelevant spatial attributes becomes available before the activation from task-relevant attributes. We refer to this as the time-difference account. Other theories follow a magnitude-difference account, assuming activation from relevant and irrelevant attributes becomes available at the same time, but with the activation from irrelevant attributes initially being stronger. To distinguish these two accounts, we incorporated the response-signal procedure into the reach-to-touch paradigm to map out the emergence of the Simon effect. We also used a carefully calibrated neutral condition to reveal differences in the initial onset of the influence of relevant and irrelevant information. Our results establish that irrelevant spatial information becomes available earlier than relevant non-spatial information. This finding is consistent with the time-difference account and inconsistent with the magnitude-difference account. However, we did find a magnitude effect, in the form of reduced interference from irrelevant information, for the second of a sequence of two incongruent trials.

Accounting for groundwater in stream fish thermal habitat responses to climate change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snyder, Craig D.; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Young, John A.

2015-01-01

Forecasting climate change effects on aquatic fauna and their habitat requires an understanding of how water temperature responds to changing air temperature (i.e., thermal sensitivity). Previous efforts to forecast climate effects on brook trout habitat have generally assumed uniform air-water temperature relationships over large areas that cannot account for groundwater inputs and other processes that operate at finer spatial scales. We developed regression models that accounted for groundwater influences on thermal sensitivity from measured air-water temperature relationships within forested watersheds in eastern North America (Shenandoah National Park, USA, 78 sites in 9 watersheds). We used these reach-scale models to forecast climate change effects on stream temperature and brook trout thermal habitat, and compared our results to previous forecasts based upon large-scale models. Observed stream temperatures were generally less sensitive to air temperature than previously assumed, and we attribute this to the moderating effect of shallow groundwater inputs. Predicted groundwater temperatures from air-water regression models corresponded well to observed groundwater temperatures elsewhere in the study area. Predictions of brook trout future habitat loss derived from our fine-grained models were far less pessimistic than those from prior models developed at coarser spatial resolutions. However, our models also revealed spatial variation in thermal sensitivity within and among catchments resulting in a patchy distribution of thermally suitable habitat. Habitat fragmentation due to thermal barriers therefore may have an increasingly important role for trout population viability in headwater streams. Our results demonstrate that simple adjustments to air-water temperature regression models can provide a powerful and cost-effective approach for predicting future stream temperatures while accounting for effects of groundwater.

Cold in-place recycle phase III, mix design.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

This projects purpose is to revise the UDOT accepted design methods for Cold In-Place Recycling so that they : better reflect field behavior and target the desirable attributes of the material. The previous design process failed to : adequately pr...

Effect of Demographic Factors on Empowerment Attributions of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Ashley H.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of demographic factors on empowerment attributions of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Data were collected to determine differences between demographic factors of participants and self-reported empowerment attributions. A quantitative research design was employed in…

Threatening communication: a critical re-analysis and a revised meta-analytic test of fear appeal theory.

PubMed

Peters, Gjalt-Jorn Ygram; Ruiter, Robert A C; Kok, Gerjo

2013-05-01

Despite decades of research, consensus regarding the dynamics of fear appeals remains elusive. A meta-analysis was conducted that was designed to resolve this controversy. Publications that were included in previous meta-analyses were re-analysed, and a number of additional publications were located. The inclusion criteria were full factorial orthogonal manipulations of threat and efficacy, and measurement of behaviour as an outcome. Fixed and random effects models were used to compute mean effect size estimates. Meta-analysis of the six studies that satisfied the inclusion criteria clearly showed a significant interaction between threat and efficacy, such that threat only had an effect under high efficacy (d = 0.31), and efficacy only had an effect under high threat (d = 0.71). Inconsistency in results regarding the effectiveness of threatening communication can likely be attributed to flawed methodology. Proper tests of fear appeal theory yielded the theoretically hypothesised interaction effect. Threatening communication should exclusively be used when pilot studies indicate that an intervention successfully enhances efficacy.

Threatening communication: a critical re-analysis and a revised meta-analytic test of fear appeal theory

PubMed Central

Peters, Gjalt-Jorn Ygram; Ruiter, Robert A.C.; Kok, Gerjo

2013-01-01

Despite decades of research, consensus regarding the dynamics of fear appeals remains elusive. A meta-analysis was conducted that was designed to resolve this controversy. Publications that were included in previous meta-analyses were re-analysed, and a number of additional publications were located. The inclusion criteria were full factorial orthogonal manipulations of threat and efficacy, and measurement of behaviour as an outcome. Fixed and random effects models were used to compute mean effect size estimates. Meta-analysis of the six studies that satisfied the inclusion criteria clearly showed a significant interaction between threat and efficacy, such that threat only had an effect under high efficacy (d = 0.31), and efficacy only had an effect under high threat (d = 0.71). Inconsistency in results regarding the effectiveness of threatening communication can likely be attributed to flawed methodology. Proper tests of fear appeal theory yielded the theoretically hypothesised interaction effect. Threatening communication should exclusively be used when pilot studies indicate that an intervention successfully enhances efficacy. PMID:23772231

Quantitative health impact of indoor radon in France.

PubMed

Ajrouche, Roula; Roudier, Candice; Cléro, Enora; Ielsch, Géraldine; Gay, Didier; Guillevic, Jérôme; Marant Micallef, Claire; Vacquier, Blandine; Le Tertre, Alain; Laurier, Dominique

2018-05-08

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Since the previous quantitative risk assessment of indoor radon conducted in France, input data have changed such as, estimates of indoor radon concentrations, lung cancer rates and the prevalence of tobacco consumption. The aim of this work was to update the risk assessment of lung cancer mortality attributable to indoor radon in France using recent risk models and data, improving the consideration of smoking, and providing results at a fine geographical scale. The data used were population data (2012), vital statistics on death from lung cancer (2008-2012), domestic radon exposure from a recent database that combines measurement results of indoor radon concentration and the geogenic radon potential map for France (2015), and smoking prevalence (2010). The risk model used was derived from a European epidemiological study, considering that lung cancer risk increased by 16% per 100 becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m 3 ) indoor radon concentration. The estimated number of lung cancer deaths attributable to indoor radon exposure is about 3000 (1000; 5000), which corresponds to about 10% of all lung cancer deaths each year in France. About 33% of lung cancer deaths attributable to radon are due to exposure levels above 100 Bq/m 3 . Considering the combined effect of tobacco and radon, the study shows that 75% of estimated radon-attributable lung cancer deaths occur among current smokers, 20% among ex-smokers and 5% among never-smokers. It is concluded that the results of this study, which are based on precise estimates of indoor radon concentrations at finest geographical scale, can serve as a basis for defining French policy against radon risk.

The role of contraceptive attributes in women's contraceptive decision making.

PubMed

Madden, Tessa; Secura, Gina M; Nease, Robert F; Politi, Mary C; Peipert, Jeffrey F

2015-07-01

Contraceptive methods have differing attributes. Women's preferences for these attributes may influence contraceptive decision making. Our objective was to identify women's contraceptive preferences among women initiating a new contraceptive method. We conducted a cross-sectional, self-administered survey of women's contraceptive preferences at the time of enrollment into the Contraceptive CHOICE Project. Participants were asked to rank the importance of 15 contraceptive attributes on a 3-point scale (1 = not at all important, 2 = somewhat important, and 3 = very important) and then to rank the 3 attributes that were the most important when choosing a contraceptive method. The survey also contained questions about prior contraceptive experience and barriers to contraceptive use. Information about demographic and reproductive characteristics was collected through the CHOICE Project baseline survey. There were 2590 women who completed the survey. Our sample was racially and socioeconomically diverse. Method attributes with the highest importance score (mean score [SD]) were effectiveness (2.97 [0.18]), safety (2.96 [0.22]), affordability (2.61 [0.61]), whether the method is long lasting (2.58 [0.61]), and whether the method is "forgettable" (2.54 [0.66]). The attributes most likely to be ranked by respondents among the top 3 attributes included effectiveness (84.2%), safety (67.8%), and side effects of the method (44.6%). Multiple contraceptive attributes influence decision making and no single attribute drives most women's decisions. Tailoring communication and helping women make complex tradeoffs between attributes can better support their contraceptive decisions and may assist them in making value-consistent choices. This process could improve continuation and satisfaction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Distribution of aquatic macrophytes in contrasting river systems: a critique of compositional-based assessment of water quality.

PubMed

Demars, Benoît O L; Edwards, Anthony C

2009-01-01

A brief summary of the historical developments relating to plant distribution and aquatic macrophyte-nutrient indices provided a means of assessing the general context and validity of previous assumptions. This has particular current relevance because of the prominent use of bioindicators for defining nutrient enrichment. A survey of 161 sites distributed across two broadly contrasting groups of rivers (circum-neutral versus alkaline) recorded 110 species of aquatic macrophytes and these have been statistically analyzed to (i) rank and separate the individual effects of local environmental conditions and spatial isolation on species distribution in the two contrasting groups of sites; (ii) calculate a macrophyte index based on plant cover and species indicator values (Mean Trophic Rank, MTR); and finally (iii) investigate the implications for biomonitoring. Chemical, physical and hydrological site attributes together with spatial isolation, each explained a significant and at least partially independent influence over plant species distribution. It was extremely difficult, however, to separate the single effects of different site attributes on plant distribution. While some plant species are more restricted to certain environmental conditions, many appeared indifferent to the range of those being tested. The role played by nutrients (nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)) were either mostly indistinguishable from other site attributes (e.g., nitrate from conductivity) or subordinate (e.g., soluble reactive phosphorus, ammonium). It is therefore very unlikely that macrophyte species composition could provide a reliable bioindicator of the surrounding nutrient (N, P) status. The calculation of the plant index illustrated this unreliability by showing that strong correlations existed with many environmental variables, not just inorganic N and P.

Update and extension of the Brazil SimSmoke model to estimate the health impact of cigarette smoking by pregnant women in Brazil.

PubMed

Szklo, André Salem; Yuan, Zhe; Levy, David

2017-12-18

A previous application of the Brazil SimSmoke tobacco control policy simulation model was used to show the effect of policies implemented between 1989 and 2010 on smoking-attributable deaths (SADs). In this study, we updated and further validated the Brazil SimSmoke model to incorporate policies implemented since 2011 (e.g., a new tax structure with the purpose of increasing revenues/real prices). In addition, we extended the model to estimate smoking-attributable maternal and child health outcomes (MCHOs), such as placenta praevia, placental abruption, preterm birth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome, to show the role of tobacco control in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Using data on population, births, smoking, policies, and prevalence of MCHOs, the model is used to assess the effect on both premature deaths and MCHOs of tobacco control policies implemented in Brazil in the last 25 years relative to a counterfactual of policies kept at 1989 levels. Smoking prevalence in Brazil has fallen by an additional 17% for males (16%-19%) and 19% for females (14%-24%) between 2011 and 2015. As a result of the policies implemented since 1989, 7.5 million (6.4-8.5) deaths among adults aged 18 years or older are projected to be averted by 2050. Current policies are also estimated to reduce a cumulative total of 0.9 million (0.4-2.4) adverse MCHOs by 2050. Our findings show the benefits of tobacco control in reducing both SADs and smoking-attributable MCHOs at population level. These benefits may be used to better inform policy makers in low and middle income countries about allocating resources towards tobacco control policies in this important area.

MANAGEMENT OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE: Suicide risk in patients with diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Wang, Bin; An, Xiaofei; Shi, Xiaohong; Zhang, Jin-An

2017-10-01

Previous studies investigating the risk of suicide in diabetes patients reported controversial findings. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to comprehensively estimate the risk and incidence rate of suicide in diabetic patients. PubMed, EMBASE and PsycINFO were searched for eligible studies. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate the relative risk (RR) and the incidence rate of suicide in diabetes patients. We also calculated the proportion of deaths attributable to suicide among diabetes patients. 54 studies were finally included, including 28 studies on the suicide risk associated with diabetes, 47 studies on the incidence rate of suicide and 45 studies on the proportion of deaths attributable to suicide. Meta-analysis showed that diabetes could significantly increase the risk of suicide (RR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.29-1.89; P  < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that the RR of suicide associated with type 1 diabetes was 2.25 (95% CI: 1.50-3.38; P  < 0.001). The pooled incidence rate of suicide in patients with diabetes was 2.35 per 10 000 person-years (95% CI: 1.51-3.64). The pooled proportions of long-term deaths attributable to suicide in type 1 diabetes patients and type 2 diabetes patients were 7.7% (95% CI: 6.0-9.8) and 1.3% (95% CI: 0.6-2.6), respectively. This meta-analysis suggests that diabetes can significantly increase the risk of suicide. Suicide has an obvious contribution to mortality in diabetic patients, especially among type 1 diabetes patients. Effective strategies to decrease suicide risk and improve mental health outcomes in diabetes patients are needed. © 2017 European Society of Endocrinology.

An interview study of persons who attribute health problems to dental filling materials--part two in a triangulation study on 65 and 75 years old Swedes.

PubMed

Ståhlnacke, Katri; Söderfeldt, Björn

2013-01-01

Dental materials are perceived as a health problem by some people, although scientists do not agree about possible causes of such problems. The aim of this paper was to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of experiences from living with health problems attributed to dental materials. Addressed topics were the type of problem, both as to general and oral health, perceived causes of the problems,their experienced effect on life, and reception by health professionals. Persons, who in a previous large questionnaire study had answered that they had experienced troubles from dental materials and also agreed to answer follow-up questions, were contacted with a request to take part in an interview study. Eleven individual interviews were held.The interviews were transcribed verbatim and the material was analysed according to the Qualitative Content Analysis method. Meaning units were extracted and condensed into a number of codes, which were combined into subcategories, categories, and themes. Four themes were identified: 1) Long-term oral, mental, and somatic difficulties of varying character, caused by dental amalgam. 2) Problems treated mainly by replacement of dental material in fillings. 3) Powerful effects on life, mostly negative. 4) The reception by health professionals was generally good, but with elements of encounters where they felt treated with nonchalance and lack of respect. In conclusion, people who attributed their health difficulties to dental materials had a complex range of problems and the perception was that amalgam/mercury was the cause of the troubles. The reception from health professionals was perceived as generally good, although with occasional negative experiences.

Preclinical medical students’ understandings of academic and medical professionalism: visual analysis of mind maps

PubMed Central

Rees, Charlotte E

2017-01-01

Introduction Several studies have begun to explore medical students’ understandings of professionalism generally and medical professionalism specifically. Despite espoused relationships between academic (AP) and medical professionalism (MP), previous research has not yet investigated students’ conceptualisations of AP and MP and the relationships between the two. Objectives The current study, based on innovative visual analysis of mind maps, therefore aims to contribute to the developing literature on how professionalism is understood. Methods We performed a multilayered analysis of 98 mind maps from 262 first-year medical students, including analysing textual and graphical elements of AP, MP and the relationships between AP and MP. Results The most common textual attributes of AP were learning, lifestyle and personality, while attributes of MP were knowledge, ethics and patient-doctor relations. Images of books, academic caps and teachers were used most often to represent AP, while images of the stethoscope, doctor and red cross were used to symbolise MP. While AP-MP relations were sometimes indicated through co-occurring text, visual connections and higher-order visual metaphors, many students struggled to articulate the relationships between AP and MP. Conclusions While the mind maps’ textual attributes shared similarities with those found in previous research, suggesting the universality of some professionalism attributes, our study provides new insights into students’ conceptualisations of AP, MP and AP-MP relationships. We encourage medical educators to help students develop their understandings of AP, MP and AP-MP relationships, plus consider the feasibility and value of mind maps as a source of visual data for medical education research. PMID:28821520

Perform Tests and Document Results and Analysis of Oxide Layer Effects and Comparisons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Collins, E. D.; DelCul, G. D.; Spencer, B. B.

2014-08-30

During the initial feasibility test using actual used nuclear fuel (UNF) cladding in FY 2012, an incubation period of 30–45 minutes was observed in the initial dry chlorination. The cladding hull used in the test had been previously oxidized in a dry air oxidation pretreatment prior to removal of the fuel. The cause of this incubation period was attributed to the resistance to chlorination of an oxide layer imparted by the dry oxidation pretreatment on the cladding. Subsequently in 2013, researchers at the Korea Atomic Energy Institute (KAERI) reported on their chlorination study [R1] on ~9-gram samples of unirradiated ZirloTMmore » cladding tubes that had been previously oxidized in air at 500oC for various time periods to impart oxide layers of varying thickness. In early 2014, discussions with Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracted technical consultants from Westinghouse described their previous development (and patents) [R2] on methods of chemical washing to remove some or all of the hydrous oxide layer imparted on UNF cladding during irradiation in light water reactors (LWRs) . Thus, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) study, described herein, was planned to extend the KAERI study on the effects of anhydrous oxide layers, but on larger ~100-gram samples of unirradiated zirconium alloy cladding tubes, and to investigate the effects of various methods of chemical pretreatment prior to chlorination with 100% chlorine on the average reaction rates and Cl2 usage efficiencies.« less

Mortality Attributable to Secondhand Smoke Exposure in Spain (2011).

PubMed

López, Maria J; Pérez-Ríos, Mónica; Schiaffino, Anna; Fernández, Esteve

2016-05-01

The objective of this study was to assess the mortality attributable to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among never-smokers in Spain in 2011, after the implementation of the Spanish smoking law. Data on SHS exposure were obtained from a computer-assisted telephone survey carried out in a representative sample of the adult Spanish population. We included the two main diseases widely associated with SHS exposure: lung cancer and ischaemic heart disease. The relative risks for these diseases were selected from previously published meta-analyses. The number of deaths attributable to SHS was calculated by applying the population attributable fraction to mortality not attributable to active smoking in 2011. The analyses were stratified by sex, age and setting of exposure (home, workplace, and both combined). In addition, a sensitivity analysis was performed for distinct scenarios. In 2011, a total of 586 deaths in men and 442 deaths in women would be attributable to SHS exposure. The total number of deaths from lung cancer attributable to SHS exposure would be 124, while the total number of deaths from ischaemic heart disease would be 904. The inclusion of ex-smokers or SHS exposure in leisure time in the study would considerably increase the total number of attributable deaths (by 20% and 130%, respectively). The total number of deaths attributable to SHS exposure at home and at work in Spain would be 1028 in 2011. Efforts are still needed to reduce the current prevalence of exposure-mainly due to exposure in nonregulated settings such as homes or cars and some outdoor spaces-and the associated morbidity and mortality. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Solvent exposure and cognitive function in automotive technicians.

PubMed

Bates, Michael N; Reed, Bruce R; Liu, Sa; Eisen, Ellen A; Hammond, S Katharine

2016-12-01

Automotive technicians are commonly exposed to organic and chlorinated solvents, particularly through use of cleaning products. Occupational solvent exposures have been associated with deficits in cognitive function but, to our knowledge, no previous studies have investigated automotive technicians. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether previous exposures to n-hexane, in particular, or general solvents posed a persistent neurotoxic hazard to automotive workers. Enrolled in the study were 830 San Francisco Bay Area automotive repair workers. Each participant underwent a battery of cognitive function tests to investigate central nervous system impairment, with a primary focus on the domains of psychomotor speed, fine motor function, memory and mood. Cognitive test results regressed against estimated hexane and total solvent exposures showed little evidence of associations. Exposures to both solvents and hexane were well below the occupational exposure limits. Our results provide some reassurance about persistent neuropsychological effects in automotive workers who use solvent-based products and those who previously used hexane-containing automotive cleaning products, since this solvent is believed no longer to be used in automotive cleaning products. The lack of observed effect in this study may be attributable to low exposures, or it may reflect improved cognitive function since hexane use in automotive cleaning products was discontinued. However, impacts on results of exposure misclassification and/or the healthy worker survivor effect cannot be discounted. Irrespective of the outcome of this study, the main known neurologic effect of n-hexane is peripheral neuropathy, and such an association in automotive technicians is not excluded by these results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Secure Data Access Control for Fog Computing Based on Multi-Authority Attribute-Based Signcryption with Computation Outsourcing and Attribute Revocation.

PubMed

Xu, Qian; Tan, Chengxiang; Fan, Zhijie; Zhu, Wenye; Xiao, Ya; Cheng, Fujia

2018-05-17

Nowadays, fog computing provides computation, storage, and application services to end users in the Internet of Things. One of the major concerns in fog computing systems is how fine-grained access control can be imposed. As a logical combination of attribute-based encryption and attribute-based signature, Attribute-based Signcryption (ABSC) can provide confidentiality and anonymous authentication for sensitive data and is more efficient than traditional "encrypt-then-sign" or "sign-then-encrypt" strategy. Thus, ABSC is suitable for fine-grained access control in a semi-trusted cloud environment and is gaining more and more attention recently. However, in many existing ABSC systems, the computation cost required for the end users in signcryption and designcryption is linear with the complexity of signing and encryption access policy. Moreover, only a single authority that is responsible for attribute management and key generation exists in the previous proposed ABSC schemes, whereas in reality, mostly, different authorities monitor different attributes of the user. In this paper, we propose OMDAC-ABSC, a novel data access control scheme based on Ciphertext-Policy ABSC, to provide data confidentiality, fine-grained control, and anonymous authentication in a multi-authority fog computing system. The signcryption and designcryption overhead for the user is significantly reduced by outsourcing the undesirable computation operations to fog nodes. The proposed scheme is proven to be secure in the standard model and can provide attribute revocation and public verifiability. The security analysis, asymptotic complexity comparison, and implementation results indicate that our construction can balance the security goals with practical efficiency in computation.

Essential managerial attributes of the nowadays nursing service manager in the South African context.

PubMed

Jooste, K

2003-08-01

Nursing service managers need certain essential managerial attributes in taking the lead in effective management of the nowadays health care organisations in South Africa. Major changes in restructuring and human resources planning are taking place through transformation of health services and specific managerial attributes are needed in this scenario. Without nursing service managers with the necessary managerial attributes, change in the health care environment will be hampered and planning, organising, directing and control of the delivering of quality care will be negatively influenced. The research problem was addressed in the following question that guided the study: Which essential attributes/characteristics should a nursing service manager possess to run a health care service effectively? It was unclear what the opinions of all level of nurse managers were regarding the necessary managerial attributes the health services manager currently need to run the current health care services effectively. This study aimed at highlighting the necessary attributes of the nowadays nursing service manager in running a health care institution in the current health care environment of South Africa. Purposive sampling was done and forty-five functional, middle and top-level managers registered for a second year degree course in Health Services Management at a South African university participated in the study. The findings indicated important managerial and leadership attributes, which the current nursing service manager should possess. This article will only discuss the important managerial attributes needed. A conceptual framework came to the fore according to which an example of a self-evaluation instrument was compiled for nursing service managers for future use. The results of the data analysis indicated that the nursing service manager should promote good interpersonal relationships with colleagues, subordinates and patients through the attributes of openness, being inviting and empowering behavior. The purpose of this article is to make nursing service managers more aware of the necessary attributes they should possess and should develop to manage nursing services more effectively.

[A model of the effects of child sexual abuse on post-traumatic stress: the mediating role of attributions of blame and avoidance coping].

PubMed

Cantón-Cortés, David; Cantón, José; Justicia, Fernando; Cortés, María Rosario

2011-02-01

Employing structural equation modeling, the direct and indirect effects of the severity of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), attributions of blame for the abuse, and coping strategies on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology are analyzed. The effects of other types of child maltreatment on PTSD were also controlled. The sample comprised 163 female college students who were victims of CSA. The results suggested that victims of more severe abuse showed higher levels of avoidant coping, self blame, and family blame. Having suffered other kinds of abuse or neglect was also related to higher family blame attributions. Lastly, both attributions of blame scales were indirectly related to PTSD symptomatology through avoidant coping. The strong relationships between attributions of blame, coping strategies, and PTSD suggest that it might be useful to intervene early with children who have suffered CSA in an effort to modify the attributions they make about the abuse and the way they cope with it.

Measuring urban tree loss dynamics across residential landscapes

EPA Science Inventory

The spatial arrangement of urban vegetation depends on urban morphology and socio-economic settings. Urban vegetation changes over time because of human management. Urban trees are removed due to hazard prevention or aesthetic preferences. Previous research attributed tree loss t...

Tool for Analyzing Station Characteristics (TASC) : evaluating the performance of intermodal connectivity.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-01

In previous phases of this research, we developed a methodology for surveying transit riders about their levels of satisfaction and how : important they find various attributes at transit stops and stations. We applied an Importance-Satisfaction Anal...

Distracted driving high-visibility enforcement demonstrations in California and Delaware : traffic tech.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates : 10% of fatal crashes (3,328) and 18% of injury crashes (421,000) : were attributable to distracted driving in 2012. Previous : research indicates dedicated law enforcement over a specifie...

78 FR 26776 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-08

... number EPA-HQ- OECA-2012-0657, to: (1) EPA online, using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or... estimates that are attributed to the correction of mathematical discrepancies identified in the previous ICR...

Size-dependent magnetic tuning of lateral photovoltaic effect in nonmagnetic Si-based Schottky junctions

PubMed Central

Zhou, Peiqi; Gan, Zhikai; Huang, Xu; Mei, Chunlian; Xia, Yuxing; Wang, Hui

2017-01-01

In this article, we report a magnetic tuning lateral photovoltaic effect (LPE) in a nonmagnetic Si-based Schottky junctions. In the magnetic field intensity range of 0 to 1.6 T, the variation amplitude of LPE sensitivity is as high as 94.8%, the change of LPV is and the change rate of lateral photo-voltage even reaches 520 mV/T at 1.5 T, which is apparently higher than the results of previous reported researches in magnetic materials. This effect is attributed to the combined result of the influence of magnetic field on diffusion current and the rectification property of our anisotropic structure. This work may expand the application of LPE in magnetism field such as magnetic sensor and magnetoresistance, and it suggests a new way to investigate the carrier transport in Schottky junctions under magnetic field. PMID:28397819

A question about the potential cardiac toxicity of escitalopram.

PubMed

Howland, Robert H

2012-04-01

Previous reviews have focused on the potential cardiac toxicity of the racemic drug citalopram (Celexa(®)). Evaluating the safety of escitalopram (Lexapro(®)) is an important issue to consider, since it is the S-enantiomer of citalopram. Escitalopram has a small effect on the QTc interval. A prolonged QTc was seen in 2% to 14% of escitalopram overdose cases, without serious cardiac sequelae. The QTc prolongation effect of citalopram in beagle dogs has been attributed to the minor metabolite racemic didemethylcitalopram (DDCT). Whether the escitalopram minor metabolite S-DDCT has this effect is not known. Concentrations of S-DDCT are lower than DDCT, but for a broad range of doses of escitalopram and citalopram, the S-DDCT and DDCT concentrations are well below the QTc prolonging concentrations reported in dogs. There is no strong evidence from human and animal studies that the cardiac safety of escitalopram is significantly superior to that of citalopram. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

How warm days increase belief in global warming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaval, Lisa; Keenan, Elizabeth A.; Johnson, Eric J.; Weber, Elke U.

2014-02-01

Climate change judgements can depend on whether today seems warmer or colder than usual, termed the local warming effect. Although previous research has demonstrated that this effect occurs, studies have yet to explain why or how temperature abnormalities influence global warming attitudes. A better understanding of the underlying psychology of this effect can help explain the public's reaction to climate change and inform approaches used to communicate the phenomenon. Across five studies, we find evidence of attribute substitution, whereby individuals use less relevant but available information (for example, today's temperature) in place of more diagnostic but less accessible information (for example, global climate change patterns) when making judgements. Moreover, we rule out alternative hypotheses involving climate change labelling and lay mental models. Ultimately, we show that present temperature abnormalities are given undue weight and lead to an overestimation of the frequency of similar past events, thereby increasing belief in and concern for global warming.

High concentration effects of neutral-potential-well interface traps on recombination dc current-voltage lineshape in metal-oxide-silicon transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zuhui; Jie, Bin B.; Sah, Chih-Tang

2008-11-01

Steady-state Shockley-Read-Hall kinetics is employed to explore the high concentration effect of neutral-potential-well interface traps on the electron-hole recombination direct-current current-voltage (R-DCIV) properties in metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistors. Extensive calculations include device parameter variations in neutral-trapping-potential-well electron interface-trap density NET (charge states 0 and -1), dopant impurity concentration PIM, oxide thickness Xox, forward source/drain junction bias VPN, and transistor temperature T. It shows significant distortion of the R-DCIV lineshape by the high concentrations of the interface traps. The result suggests that the lineshape distortion observed in past experiments, previously attributed to spatial variation in surface impurity concentration and energy distribution of interface traps in the silicon energy gap, can also arise from interface-trap concentration along surface channel region.

Effects of Persuasive Appeals in Public Service Advertising

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynn, Jerry R.

1974-01-01

Concludes that of four message types perceived on the basis of persuasive appeal--emotional, logical, source-attribute, and fear--emotional appeal is the most effective and source-attribute the least effective method of advertising. (RB)

Simultaneous Precipitation of Solar Protons and Relativistic Electrons as a New Factor Affecting the Earth's Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirochkov, A. V.; Sokolov, S. N.

In the field of solar - terrestrial physics during the last decade there has been renewed interest in the effects produced in the Earth atmosphere and ionosphere by fluxes of precipitated highly relativistic electrons. A series of investigation on the subject (preferably by means of satellite measurements) was performed recently, which discussed different aspects of these phenomena called HRE events. More careful study of the HRE events revealed previously unnoticed geophysical phenomenon: a great majority of the solar proton events (SPE) were accompanied by simultaneous precipitation of relativistic electron fluxes. The studies of previous SPE events attributed their atmospheric and ionospheric effects entirely to the solar proton fluxes. It turned out that such an assumption is wrong. Therefore we have actually a new class of geophysical phenomena when the Earth's atmosphere and ionosphere experience combined impact of simultaneously precipitating fluxes of solar protons and relativistic electrons. If one takes into accounts effect of enhanced density of the solar wind during the SPEs (i.e. its dynamic pressure) the real situation during these combined events became more complicated. In this paper the effects during the storm of May 1992 are analyzed as an example of such unusual combination. The methods of separation of the effects produced by different precipitation particles are presented. Other similar events are considered to demonstrate that such complex events are not unique geophysical phenomena.

Global and regional trends in particulate air pollution and attributable health burden over the past 50 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butt, E. W.; Turnock, S. T.; Rigby, R.; Reddington, C. L.; Yoshioka, M.; Johnson, J. S.; Regayre, L. A.; Pringle, K. J.; Mann, G. W.; Spracklen, D. V.

2017-10-01

Long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM2.5, mass of particles with an aerodynamic dry diameter of < 2.5 μm) is a major risk factor to the global burden of disease. Previous studies have focussed on present day or future health burdens attributed to ambient PM2.5. Few studies have estimated changes in PM2.5 and attributable health burdens over the last few decades, a period where air quality has changed rapidly. Here we used the HadGEM3-UKCA coupled chemistry-climate model, integrated exposure-response relationships, demographic and background disease data to provide the first estimate of the changes in global and regional ambient PM2.5 concentrations and attributable health burdens over the period 1960 to 2009. Over this period, global mean population-weighted PM2.5 concentrations increased by 38%, dominated by increases in China and India. Global attributable deaths increased by 89% to 124% over the period 1960 to 2009, dominated by large increases in China and India. Population growth and ageing contributed mostly to the increases in attributable deaths in China and India, highlighting the importance of demographic trends. In contrast, decreasing PM2.5 concentrations and background disease dominated the reduction in attributable health burden in Europe and the United States. Our results shed light on how future projected trends in demographics and uncertainty in the exposure-response relationship may provide challenges for future air quality policy in Asia.

The role of occupational attributes in gender earnings inequality, 1970-2010.

PubMed

Mandel, Hadas

2016-01-01

Grounded in the research on the important role of social structures in forming gender inequalities, this study examines the effect of occupational attributes on the gender earnings gap over four decades. Using the IPUMS-USA from 1970 to 2010, the paper shows that occupational attributes cannot be reduced to the aggregate attributes of their individual incumbents. Rather, the effect of occupations on the gender earnings gap goes far beyond both the distributive role of occupational segregation and the effect of individual wage-related characteristics. Furthermore, occupations not only explain a significant portion of net gender pay gaps, but have also contributed to the narrowing of the gaps over the past several decades, as occupational attributes that favor women's pay have become more dominant over time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using redescription mining to relate clinical and biological characteristics of cognitively impaired and Alzheimer's disease patients.

PubMed

Mihelčić, Matej; Šimić, Goran; Babić Leko, Mirjana; Lavrač, Nada; Džeroski, Sašo; Šmuc, Tomislav

2017-01-01

Based on a set of subjects and a collection of attributes obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database, we used redescription mining to find interpretable rules revealing associations between those determinants that provide insights about the Alzheimer's disease (AD). We extended the CLUS-RM redescription mining algorithm to a constraint-based redescription mining (CBRM) setting, which enables several modes of targeted exploration of specific, user-constrained associations. Redescription mining enabled finding specific constructs of clinical and biological attributes that describe many groups of subjects of different size, homogeneity and levels of cognitive impairment. We confirmed some previously known findings. However, in some instances, as with the attributes: testosterone, ciliary neurotrophic factor, brain natriuretic peptide, Fas ligand, the imaging attribute Spatial Pattern of Abnormalities for Recognition of Early AD, as well as the levels of leptin and angiopoietin-2 in plasma, we corroborated previously debatable findings or provided additional information about these variables and their association with AD pathogenesis. Moreover, applying redescription mining on ADNI data resulted with the discovery of one largely unknown attribute: the Pregnancy-Associated Protein-A (PAPP-A), which we found highly associated with cognitive impairment in AD. Statistically significant correlations (p ≤ 0.01) were found between PAPP-A and clinical tests: Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale, Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes, Mini Mental State Examination, etc. The high importance of this finding lies in the fact that PAPP-A is a metalloproteinase, known to cleave insulin-like growth factor binding proteins. Since it also shares similar substrates with A Disintegrin and the Metalloproteinase family of enzymes that act as α-secretase to physiologically cleave amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the non-amyloidogenic pathway, it could be directly involved in the metabolism of APP very early during the disease course. Therefore, further studies should investigate the role of PAPP-A in the development of AD more thoroughly.

Using redescription mining to relate clinical and biological characteristics of cognitively impaired and Alzheimer’s disease patients

PubMed Central

Mihelčić, Matej; Šimić, Goran; Babić Leko, Mirjana; Lavrač, Nada; Džeroski, Sašo; Šmuc, Tomislav

2017-01-01

Based on a set of subjects and a collection of attributes obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database, we used redescription mining to find interpretable rules revealing associations between those determinants that provide insights about the Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We extended the CLUS-RM redescription mining algorithm to a constraint-based redescription mining (CBRM) setting, which enables several modes of targeted exploration of specific, user-constrained associations. Redescription mining enabled finding specific constructs of clinical and biological attributes that describe many groups of subjects of different size, homogeneity and levels of cognitive impairment. We confirmed some previously known findings. However, in some instances, as with the attributes: testosterone, ciliary neurotrophic factor, brain natriuretic peptide, Fas ligand, the imaging attribute Spatial Pattern of Abnormalities for Recognition of Early AD, as well as the levels of leptin and angiopoietin-2 in plasma, we corroborated previously debatable findings or provided additional information about these variables and their association with AD pathogenesis. Moreover, applying redescription mining on ADNI data resulted with the discovery of one largely unknown attribute: the Pregnancy-Associated Protein-A (PAPP-A), which we found highly associated with cognitive impairment in AD. Statistically significant correlations (p ≤ 0.01) were found between PAPP-A and clinical tests: Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale, Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes, Mini Mental State Examination, etc. The high importance of this finding lies in the fact that PAPP-A is a metalloproteinase, known to cleave insulin-like growth factor binding proteins. Since it also shares similar substrates with A Disintegrin and the Metalloproteinase family of enzymes that act as α-secretase to physiologically cleave amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the non-amyloidogenic pathway, it could be directly involved in the metabolism of APP very early during the disease course. Therefore, further studies should investigate the role of PAPP-A in the development of AD more thoroughly. PMID:29088293

Medicine-related services in community pharmacy: public preferences for pharmacy attributes and promotional methods and comparison with pharmacists' perceptions.

PubMed

Gammie, Shivaun M; Rodgers, Ruth M; Loo, Ruey Leng; Corlett, Sarah A; Krska, Janet

2016-01-01

Public awareness of pharmacy services designed to support the use of medicines is low, yet little is known about how the public view promotion of these services, or their preferences for the attributes of pharmacies from which they would like to receive them. To compare the public's preferred attributes of pharmacies and methods for promoting medicine-related services with community pharmacists' perceptions of their customers' views. Parallel surveys were conducted in South East England, using a street survey for the general public and a postal survey for community pharmacists. Response rates were as follows: public 47.2% (1,000/2,012) and pharmacists 40.8% (341/836). Pharmacists' perceptions of customer preferences for using the same pharmacy, independent ownership, and personal knowledge of the pharmacist were higher than actual public preferences. More pharmacists than public respondents also believed that approachability and previous good service would be important. The public's desires for long opening hours and for a pharmacy with a good relationship with their doctor's surgery were higher than pharmacists believed. The majority of the public prefer not to interrupt a pharmacist who is busy in the dispensary, which was not perceived by pharmacists as a factor. Pharmacists' perceptions aligned more with the preferences of regular medicine users and frequent pharmacy users. Both groups viewed direct recommendation as the most effective approach for promoting pharmacy services, particularly by doctors and pharmacy staff. Pharmacists' expectations of the effectiveness of posters and mass media methods were much higher than those of the public. Pharmacists and pharmacy owners must ensure good relationships with local medical practices to enable them to maximize opportunities for using the promotional methods judged most effective in encouraging the use of medicine-related services. Staff must be approachable and enable access to pharmacists, ensuring that perceptions of pharmacist busyness are not a deterrent.

Medicine-related services in community pharmacy: public preferences for pharmacy attributes and promotional methods and comparison with pharmacists’ perceptions

PubMed Central

Gammie, Shivaun M; Rodgers, Ruth M; Loo, Ruey Leng; Corlett, Sarah A; Krska, Janet

2016-01-01

Background Public awareness of pharmacy services designed to support the use of medicines is low, yet little is known about how the public view promotion of these services, or their preferences for the attributes of pharmacies from which they would like to receive them. Objective To compare the public’s preferred attributes of pharmacies and methods for promoting medicine-related services with community pharmacists’ perceptions of their customers’ views. Methods Parallel surveys were conducted in South East England, using a street survey for the general public and a postal survey for community pharmacists. Results Response rates were as follows: public 47.2% (1,000/2,012) and pharmacists 40.8% (341/836). Pharmacists’ perceptions of customer preferences for using the same pharmacy, independent ownership, and personal knowledge of the pharmacist were higher than actual public preferences. More pharmacists than public respondents also believed that approachability and previous good service would be important. The public’s desires for long opening hours and for a pharmacy with a good relationship with their doctor’s surgery were higher than pharmacists believed. The majority of the public prefer not to interrupt a pharmacist who is busy in the dispensary, which was not perceived by pharmacists as a factor. Pharmacists’ perceptions aligned more with the preferences of regular medicine users and frequent pharmacy users. Both groups viewed direct recommendation as the most effective approach for promoting pharmacy services, particularly by doctors and pharmacy staff. Pharmacists’ expectations of the effectiveness of posters and mass media methods were much higher than those of the public. Conclusion Pharmacists and pharmacy owners must ensure good relationships with local medical practices to enable them to maximize opportunities for using the promotional methods judged most effective in encouraging the use of medicine-related services. Staff must be approachable and enable access to pharmacists, ensuring that perceptions of pharmacist busyness are not a deterrent. PMID:27877021

Effects of social sustainability signaling on neural valuation signals and taste-experience of food products

PubMed Central

Enax, Laura; Krapp, Vanessa; Piehl, Alexandra; Weber, Bernd

2015-01-01

Value-based decision making occurs when individuals choose between different alternatives and place a value on each alternative and its attributes. Marketing actions frequently manipulate product attributes, by adding, e.g., health claims on the packaging. A previous imaging study found that an emblem for organic products increased willingness to pay (WTP) and activity in the ventral striatum (VS). The current study investigated neural and behavioral processes underlying the influence of Fair Trade (FT) labeling on food valuation and choice. Sustainability is an important product attribute for many consumers, with FT signals being one way to highlight ethically sustainable production. Forty participants valuated products in combination with an FT emblem or no emblem and stated their WTP in a bidding task while in an MRI scanner. After that, participants tasted—objectively identical—chocolates, presented either as “FT” or as “conventionally produced”. In the fMRI task, WTP was significantly higher for FT products. FT labeling increased activity in regions important for reward-processing and salience, that is, in the VS, anterior and posterior cingulate, as well as superior frontal gyrus. Subjective value, that is, WTP was correlated with activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). We find that the anterior cingulate, VS and superior frontal gyrus exhibit task-related increases in functional connectivity to the vmPFC when an FT product was evaluated. Effective connectivity analyses revealed a highly probable directed modulation of the vmPFC by those three regions, suggesting a network which alters valuation processes. We also found a significant taste-placebo effect, with higher experienced taste pleasantness and intensity for FT labeled chocolates. Our results reveal a possible neural mechanism underlying valuation processes of certified food products. The results are important in light of understanding current marketing trends as well as designing future interventions that aim at positively influencing food choice. PMID:26441576

Betaine protects urea-induced denaturation of myosin subfragment-1.

PubMed

Ortiz-Costa, Susana; Sorenson, Martha M; Sola-Penna, Mauro

2008-07-01

We have demonstrated previously that urea inhibits the activity and alters the tertiary structure of skeletal muscle myosin in a biphasic manner. This was attributed to differential effects on its globular and filamentous portion. The inhibition of catalytic activity was counteracted by methylamines. With the aim of comprehending the effects of urea on the catalytic (globular) portion of myosin, this study examines the effects of urea and the countereffects of betaine on the catalytic activity and structure of myosin subfragment-1. It is shown that urea inactivates subfragment-1 in parallel with its ability to induce exposure of the enzyme hydrophobic domains, as assessed using intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescence. Both effects are counteracted by betaine, which alone does not significantly affect subfragment-1. Urea also enhances the accessibility of thiol groups, promotes aggregation and decreases the alpha-helix content of S1, effects that are also counteracted by betaine. We conclude that urea-induced inactivation of the enzyme is caused by partial unfolding of the myosin catalytic domain.

Monitoring aroma changes during human milk storage at +4 °C by sensory and quantification experiments.

PubMed

Spitzer, Johanna; Klos, Katharina; Buettner, Andrea

2013-12-01

The effect of human milk storage in the refrigerator has been investigated with regard to sensory changes and modifications to the molecular composition of the milk odour-active volatiles. In the present study, characteristic odorants from fat oxidation, known from previous studies, as well as free fatty acids were quantified as representative marker substances by means of stable isotope dilution assays of fresh milk samples and milk samples stored at +4 °C for one and three days, respectively. Sensory evaluation showed that rancid and sweaty odour attributes were generated during storage, resulting in an unpleasant aroma profile for adults; however, odour changes were not as pronounced as those observed in our previous study for freeze storage. Fatty and buttery odour notes and a cooked milk-like smell were also generated. In total eight odorants from fat oxidation were determined and some potent odorants showed slight concentration increases. Moreover, five free fatty acids were determined and these all showed drastic concentration increases, even after storage for just one day. These investigations support our previous findings that storage recommendations for breast milk might need to be slightly reconsidered in view of potential sensory changes; on the other hand, no negative physiological effects are to be expected from these changes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Sinuosity of Martian rampart ejecta deposits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barlow, Nadine G.

1994-01-01

The sinuosities of 2213 Martian rampart ejecta craters are quantified through measurement of the ejecta flow front perimeter and ejecta area. This quantity, called lobateness, was computed for each complete lobe of the 1582 single lobe (SL), 251 double lobe (DL), and 380 multiple lobe (ML) craters included in this study. A lobateness value of 1 indicates a circular ejecta blanket, whereas more sinuous ejecta perimeters have lobateness values greater than 1. Although resolution does have an effect on the absolute values of lobateness, the general relationships between lobateness and morphology exist regardless of resolution. Evaluation of the lobateness values reveals that the outer lobes of DL and ML craters have higher median lobateness values (i.e., are more sinuous) than the inner lobes. The outermost lobe of ML craters displays higher lobateness values than the outer lobe of DL craters or the single lobe of SL craters. Previous reports of lobateness-diameter, lobateness-latitude, and lobateness-terrain relationships for rampart craters are not supported by this study. Many of the differences between the results of this study and the previous lobateness analyses can be attributed to the inclusion of resolution effects and the distinction between different ejecta morphologies in this study. The results of this study taken together with a previous analysis of the distribution and diameter dependence of different ejecta morphologies are most consistent with the theory that Martian lobate ejecta morphologies form from impact into subsurface volatiles.

Obesogenic environment: a concept analysis and pediatric perspective.

PubMed

Gauthier, Kristine I; Krajicek, Marilyn J

2013-07-01

A concept analysis was undertaken to examine the attributes, characteristics, and uses of the concept of obesogenic environment within a pediatric context. Utilizing a modified version of Walker and Avant's method, the attributes and characteristics of obesogenic environment were identified as it pertains to children. Based on the review of the literature and previous definitions applied to adults, a definition of the concept of obesogenic environment within a pediatric context was developed; examples of sample cases illustrate the concept further. Defining the concept of obesogenic environment has utility for nursing theory development, practice, research, and education. © 2013, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The relationship between attributional style and destructive responses to job dissatisfaction: an exploratory study of internal migrant workers in China

PubMed Central

Kwan, Siu-On; Wong, Fu-Keung Daniel

2014-01-01

This study examines the relationship between attributional style and destructive responses to job dissatisfaction among internal migrant workers in mainland China. Contrary to previous studies conducted in the West, we found that internality of bad events was negatively related to destructive responses to job dissatisfaction. Stability and globality were positively related to destructive responses to job dissatisfaction. We suggest that the concept of interdependent self-construal may explain the unique positive meaning of internality of bad events among Chinese migrant workers. The practical significance of the findings is discussed. PMID:25750811

The ugrizYJHK luminosity distributions and densities from the combined MGC, SDSS and UKIDSS LAS data sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, David T.; Driver, Simon P.; Cameron, Ewan; Cross, Nicholas; Liske, Jochen; Robotham, Aaron

2010-05-01

We combine data from the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue, Sloan Digital Sky Survey and UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey Large Area Survey to produce ugrizYJHK luminosity functions and densities from within a common, low-redshift volume (z < 0.1, ~ 71000h-31 Mpc3 for L* systems) with 100 per cent spectroscopic completeness. In the optical the fitted Schechter functions are comparable in shape to those previously reported values but with higher normalizations (typically 0, 30, 20, 15, 5 per cent higher φ* values in u, g, r, i, z, respectively, over those reported by the SDSS team). We attribute these to differences in the redshift ranges probed, incompleteness and adopted normalization methods. In the near-IR (NIR) we find significantly different Schechter function parameters (mainly in the M* values) to those previously reported and attribute this to the improvement in the quality of the imaging data over previous studies. This is the first homogeneous measurement of the extragalactic luminosity density which fully samples both the optical and NIR regimes. Unlike previous compilations that have noted a discontinuity between the optical and NIR regimes our homogeneous data set shows a smooth cosmic spectral energy distribution (CSED). After correcting for dust attenuation we compare our CSED to the expected values based on recent constraints on the cosmic star formation history and the initial mass function.

Gender and Ethnic-Group Differences in Causal Attributions for Success and Failure in Mathematics and Language Examinations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birenbaum, Menucha; Kraemer, Roberta

1995-01-01

Examines gender and ethnic differences among Jewish and Arab high school students in Israel with respect to their causal attributions for success and failure in mathematics and language examinations. Results from 333 ninth graders show larger effects of ethnicity than of gender, with effects more pronounced in success than in failure attributions.…

Effects of Training on Controllability Attributions of Behavioural Excesses and Deficits Shown by Adults with Down Syndrome and Dementia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalsy, Sunny; Heath, Rebecca; Adams, Dawn; Oliver, Chris

2007-01-01

Background: Whereas there is a knowledge base on staff attributions of challenging behaviour, there has been little research on the effects of training, type of behaviour and biological context on staff attributions of controllability in the context of people with intellectual disabilities and dementia. Methods: A mixed design was used to…

Factors Influencing Ferrihydrite Crystallinity In Natural And Synthetic Systems

EPA Science Inventory

Recent investigations of the structure of the mineral ferrihydrite indicate that disparities in the number of peaks observed in powder x-ray diffraction patterns can be attributed to differences in crystallite size. This has lead to the conclusion that specimens previously refer...

Performance on large-scale science tests: Item attributes that may impact achievement scores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, Janet Victoria

Significant differences in achievement among ethnic groups persist on the eighth-grade science Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). The WASL measures academic performance in science using both scenario and stand-alone question types. Previous research suggests that presenting target items connected to an authentic context, like scenario question types, can increase science achievement scores especially in underrepresented groups and thus help to close the achievement gap. The purpose of this study was to identify significant differences in performance between gender and ethnic subgroups by question type on the 2005 eighth-grade science WASL. MANOVA and ANOVA were used to examine relationships between gender and ethnic subgroups as independent variables with achievement scores on scenario and stand-alone question types as dependent variables. MANOVA revealed no significant effects for gender, suggesting that the 2005 eighth-grade science WASL was gender neutral. However, there were significant effects for ethnicity. ANOVA revealed significant effects for ethnicity and ethnicity by gender interaction in both question types. Effect sizes were negligible for the ethnicity by gender interaction. Large effect sizes between ethnicities on scenario question types became moderate to small effect sizes on stand-alone question types. This indicates the score advantage the higher performing subgroups had over the lower performing subgroups was not as large on stand-alone question types compared to scenario question types. A further comparison examined performance on multiple-choice items only within both question types. Similar achievement patterns between ethnicities emerged; however, achievement patterns between genders changed in boys' favor. Scenario question types appeared to register differences between ethnic groups to a greater degree than stand-alone question types. These differences may be attributable to individual differences in cognition, characteristics of test items themselves and/or opportunities to learn. Suggestions for future research are made.

Quantitative perceptual differences among over-the-counter vaginal products using a standardized methodology: implications for microbicide development☆

PubMed Central

Mahan, Ellen D.; Morrow, Kathleen M.; Hayes, John E.

2015-01-01

Background Increasing prevalence of HIV infection among women worldwide has motivated the development of female-initiated prevention methods, including gel-based microbicides. User acceptability is vital for microbicide success; however, varying cultural vaginal practices indicate multiple formulations must be developed to appeal to different populations. Perceptual attributes of microbicides have been identified as primary drivers of acceptability; however, previous studies do not allow for direct comparison of these qualities between multiple formulations. Study Design Six vaginal products were analyzed ex vivo using descriptive analysis. Perceptual attributes of samples were identified by trained participants (n=10) and rated quantitatively using scales based on a panel-developed lexicon. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVAs for each attribute; product differences were assessed via Tukey’s honestly significant difference test. Results Significant differences were found between products for multiple attributes. Patterns were also seen for attributes across intended product usage (i.e., contraceptive, moisturizer or lubricant). For example, Options© Gynol II® (Caldwell Consumer Health, LLC) was significantly stickier and grainier than other products. Conclusions Descriptive analysis, a quantitative approach that is based on consensus lexicon usage among participants, successfully quantified perceptual differences among vaginal products. Since perceptual attributes of products can be directly compared quantitatively, this study represents a novel approach that could be used to inform rational design of microbicides. PMID:21757061

Quantitative perceptual differences among over-the-counter vaginal products using a standardized methodology: implications for microbicide development.

PubMed

Mahan, Ellen D; Morrow, Kathleen M; Hayes, John E

2011-08-01

Increasing prevalence of HIV infection among women worldwide has motivated the development of female-initiated prevention methods, including gel-based microbicides. User acceptability is vital for microbicide success; however, varying cultural vaginal practices indicate multiple formulations must be developed to appeal to different populations. Perceptual attributes of microbicides have been identified as primary drivers of acceptability; however, previous studies do not allow for direct comparison of these qualities between multiple formulations. Six vaginal products were analyzed ex vivo using descriptive analysis. Perceptual attributes of samples were identified by trained participants (n=10) and rated quantitatively using scales based on a panel-developed lexicon. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVAs for each attribute; product differences were assessed via Tukey's honestly significant difference test. Significant differences were found between products for multiple attributes. Patterns were also seen for attributes across intended product usage (i.e., contraceptive, moisturizer or lubricant). For example, Options© Gynol II® (Caldwell Consumer Health, LLC) was significantly stickier and grainier than other products. Descriptive analysis, a quantitative approach that is based on consensus lexicon usage among participants, successfully quantified perceptual differences among vaginal products. Since perceptual attributes of products can be directly compared quantitatively, this study represents a novel approach that could be used to inform rational design of microbicides. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneity in hedonic modelling of house prices: looking at buyers' household profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kestens, Yan; Thériault, Marius; Des Rosiers, François

2006-03-01

This paper introduces household-level data into hedonic models in order to measure the heterogeneity of implicit prices regarding household type, age, educational attainment, income, and the previous tenure status of the buyers. Two methods are used for this purpose: a first series of models uses expansion terms, whereas a second series applies Geographically Weighted Regressions. Both methods yield conclusive results, showing that the marginal value given to certain property specifics and location attributes do vary regarding the characteristics of the buyer’s household. Particularly, major findings concern the significant effect of income on the location rent as well as the premium paid by highly-educated households in order to fulfil social homogeneity.

Delayed damage accumulation by athermal suppression of defect production in concentrated solid solution alloys

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Velişa, G.; Wendler, E.; Zhao, S.

A combined experimental and computational evaluation of damage accumulation in ion-irradiated Ni, NiFe, and NiFeCoCr is presented. Furthermore, a suppressed damage accumulation, at early stages (low-fluence irradiation), is revealed in NiFeCoCr, with a linear dependence as a function of ion fluence, in sharp contrast with Ni and NiFe. This effect, observed at 16 K, is attributed to the complex energy landscape in these alloys that limits defect mobility and therefore enhances defect interaction and recombination. Our results, together with previous room-temperature and high-temperature investigations, suggest "self-healing" as an intrinsic property of complex alloys that is not a thermally activated process.

Half-value-layer increase owing to tungsten buildup in the x-ray tube: fact or fiction.

PubMed

Stears, J G; Felmlee, J P; Gray, J E

1986-09-01

The half-value layer (HVL) of an x-ray beam is generally believed to increase with x-ray tube use. This increase in HVL has previously been attributed to the hardening of the x-ray beam as a result of a buildup of tungsten on the x-ray tube glass window. Radiographs and HVL measurements were obtained to determine the effect of tungsten deposited on the x-ray tube windows. This work, along with the HVL data from approximately 200 functioning x-ray tubes used for all applications that were monitored for more than 8 years, indicated there is no significant increase in HVL with diagnostic x-ray tube use.

Delayed damage accumulation by athermal suppression of defect production in concentrated solid solution alloys

DOE PAGES

Velişa, G.; Wendler, E.; Zhao, S.; ...

2017-12-17

A combined experimental and computational evaluation of damage accumulation in ion-irradiated Ni, NiFe, and NiFeCoCr is presented. Furthermore, a suppressed damage accumulation, at early stages (low-fluence irradiation), is revealed in NiFeCoCr, with a linear dependence as a function of ion fluence, in sharp contrast with Ni and NiFe. This effect, observed at 16 K, is attributed to the complex energy landscape in these alloys that limits defect mobility and therefore enhances defect interaction and recombination. Our results, together with previous room-temperature and high-temperature investigations, suggest "self-healing" as an intrinsic property of complex alloys that is not a thermally activated process.

Digital ranges of motion: normal values in young adults.

PubMed

Mallon, W J; Brown, H R; Nunley, J A

1991-09-01

Analysis of the range of motion of fingers was done in young (eighteen to thirty-five year old) adult volunteers with no history of previous injury to their hands. The data show that there are slight differences between the individual digits. Notably, metacarpophalangeal flexion and total active motion increase linearly in proceeding from the index to the small finger. There were also minor differences in comparing sexes. Women have greater extension at the metacarpophalangeal joint in both active and passive motion and have a greater total active motion at all digits as a result. A significant tenodesis effect was found at the distal interphalangeal joint in normal subjects. No differences were found that could be attributable to handedness.

Evaluating the irradiation effects on the elastic properties of miniature monolithic SiC tubular specimens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, G.; Koyanagi, T.; Petrie, C.; Terrani, K.; Katoh, Y.

2018-02-01

The initial results of a post-irradiation examination study conducted on CVD SiC tubular specimens irradiated under a high radial heat flux are presented herein. The elastic moduli were found to decrease more than that estimated based on previous studies. The significant decreases in modulus are attributed to the cracks present in the specimens. The stresses in the specimens, calculated through finite element analyses, were found to be greater than the expected strength of irradiated specimens, indicating that the irradiation-induced stresses caused these cracks. The optical microscopy images and predicted stress distributions indicate that the cracks initiated at the inner surface and propagated outward.

Particle drift model for Z-pinch-driven magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dan, Jia Kun; Xu, Qiang; Wang, Kun Lun; Ren, Xiao Dong; Huang, Xian Bin

2016-09-01

A theoretical model of Z-pinch driven magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability is proposed based on the particle drift point of view, which can explain the helical instability structure observed in premagnetized imploding liner experiments. It is demonstrated that all possible drift motions, including polarization drift, gradient drift, and curvature drift, which can lead to charge separations, each will attribute to an effective gravity acceleration. Theoretical predictions given by this model are dramatically different from those given by previous theories which have been readily recovered in the theory presented here as a limiting case. The theory shows qualitative agreement with available experimental data of the pitch angle and provides certain predictions to be verified.

Pilot study on the effects of a computer-based medical image system.

PubMed Central

Wu, S. C.; Smith, J. W.; Swan, J. E.

1996-01-01

Current medical imaging systems are developed for the purpose of data management. Evaluations of these systems are usually done by assessing users' subjective appreciation rather than objectively gauging performance influence. The present report discusses the evaluation of a medical image presentation system prototype utilizing a cognitive approach. Experimental results showed hypothesized performance improvement attributed to advanced presentation techniques. However, this improvement was almost inadvertently masked by users' previous strategies and interactions with new technology. Overall these data demonstrate the potential benefit of implementing such a system in actual practice as well as provide an example of applying the cognitive approach in evaluating the usability of medical systems. Images Figure 1 PMID:8947750

The effect of testing versus restudy on retention: a meta-analytic review of the testing effect.

PubMed

Rowland, Christopher A

2014-11-01

Engaging in a test over previously studied information can serve as a potent learning event, a phenomenon referred to as the testing effect. Despite a surge of research in the past decade, existing theories have not yet provided a cohesive account of testing phenomena. The present study uses meta-analysis to examine the effects of testing versus restudy on retention. Key results indicate support for the role of effortful processing as a contributor to the testing effect, with initial recall tests yielding larger testing benefits than recognition tests. Limited support was found for existing theoretical accounts attributing the testing effect to enhanced semantic elaboration, indicating that consideration of alternative mechanisms is warranted in explaining testing effects. Future theoretical accounts of the testing effect may benefit from consideration of episodic and contextually derived contributions to retention resulting from memory retrieval. Additionally, the bifurcation model of the testing effect is considered as a viable framework from which to characterize the patterns of results present across the literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Inorganic nitrite supplementation for healthy arterial aging

PubMed Central

DeVan, Allison E.; Fleenor, Bradley S.; Seals, Douglas R.

2014-01-01

Aging is the major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This is attributable primarily to adverse changes in arteries, notably, increases in large elastic artery stiffness and endothelial dysfunction mediated by inadequate concentrations of the vascular-protective molecule, nitric oxide (NO), and higher levels of oxidative stress and inflammation. Inorganic nitrite is a promising precursor molecule for augmenting circulating and tissue NO bioavailability because it requires only a one-step reduction to NO. Nitrite also acts as an independent signaling molecule, exerting many of the effects previously attributed to NO. Results of recent studies indicate that nitrite may be effective in the treatment of vascular aging. In old mice, short-term oral sodium nitrite supplementation reduces aortic pulse wave velocity, the gold-standard measure of large elastic artery stiffness, and ameliorates endothelial dysfunction, as indicated by normalization of NO-mediated endothelium-dependent dilation. These improvements in age-related vascular dysfunction with nitrite are mediated by reductions in oxidative stress and inflammation, and may be linked to increases in mitochondrial biogenesis and health. Increasing nitrite levels via dietary intake of nitrate appears to have similarly beneficial effects in many of the same physiological and clinical settings. Several clinical trials are being performed to determine the broad therapeutic potential of increasing nitrite bioavailability on human health and disease, including studies related to vascular aging. In summary, inorganic nitrite, as well as dietary nitrate supplementation, represents a promising therapy for treatment of arterial aging and prevention of age-associated CVD in humans. PMID:24408999

Effects of methylphenidate and expectancy on children with ADHD: behavior, academic performance, and attributions in a summer treatment program and regular classroom settings.

PubMed

Pelham, William E; Hoza, Betsy; Pillow, David R; Gnagy, Elizabeth M; Kipp, Heidi L; Greiner, Andrew R; Waschbusch, Daniel A; Trane, Sarah T; Greenhouse, Joel; Wolfson, Lara; Fitzpatrick, Erin

2002-04-01

Pharmacological and expectancy effects of 0.3 mg/kg methylphenidate on the behavior and attributions of boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were evaluated. In a within-subject, balanced-placebo design, 136 boys received 4 medication-expectancy conditions. Attributions for success and failure on a daily report card were gathered. Assessments took place within the setting of a summer treatment program and were repeated in boys' regular classrooms. Expectancy did not affect the boys' behavior; only active medication improved their behavior. Boys attributed their success to their effort and ability and attributed failure to task difficulty and the pill, regardless of medication and expectancy. Results were generally equivalent across the two settings; where there were differences, beneficial effects of medication were more apparent in the school setting. The findings were unaffected by individual-difference factors.

A mock juror investigation of blame attribution in the punishment of hate crime perpetrators.

PubMed

Cramer, Robert J; Clark, John W; Kehn, Andre; Burks, Alixandra C; Wechsler, Hayley J

2014-01-01

We examined blame attribution as a moderator of perceptions of hate crimes against gay, African American, and transgender victims. Participants were 510 Texas jury panel members. Results of vignette-based crime scenarios showed that victim blame displayed significant negative, and perpetrator blame significant positive, effects on sentencing recommendations. Also as hypothesized, victim and perpetrator blame moderated the effect of support for hate crime legislation. Interaction patterns suggested that both types of blame attribution influence sentencing recommendations, but only for participants disagreeing with hate crime legislation. Three-way interactions with victim type also emerged, indicating that the effects of both types of blame attribution show particular influences when the victim is gay, as opposed to transgender or African American. Implications for attribution theory, hate crime policy, and jury selection are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attachment Security Balances Perspectives: Effects of Security Priming on Highly Optimistic and Pessimistic Explanatory Styles.

PubMed

Deng, Yanhe; Yan, Mengge; Chen, Henry; Sun, Xin; Zhang, Peng; Zeng, Xianglong; Liu, Xiangping; Lye, Yue

2016-01-01

Highly optimistic explanatory style (HOES) and highly pessimistic explanatory style (HPES) are two maladaptive ways to explain the world and may have roots in attachment insecurity. The current study aims to explore the effects of security priming - activating supportive representations of attachment security - on ameliorating these maladaptive explanatory styles. 57 participants with HOES and 57 participants with HPES were randomized into security priming and control conditions. Their scores of overall optimistic attribution were measured before and after priming. Security priming had a moderating effect: the security primed HOES group exhibited lower optimistic attribution, while the security primed HPES group evinced higher scores of optimistic attribution. Furthermore, the security primed HOES group attributed positive outcomes more externally, while the security primed HPES group attributed successful results more internally. The results support the application of security priming interventions on maladaptive explanatory styles. Its potential mechanism and directions for future study are also discussed.

Evaluation of Savings in Energy-Efficient Public Housing in the Pacific Northwest

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2013-10-01

This report presents the results of an energy performance and cost-effectiveness analysis. The Salishan phase 7 and demonstration homes were compared to Salishan phase 6 homes built to 2006 Washington State Energy Code specifications 2. Predicted annual energy savings (over Salishan phase 6) was 19% for Salishan phase 7, and between 19-24% for the demonstration homes (depending on ventilation strategy). Approximately two-thirds of the savings are attributable to the DHP. Working with the electric utility provider, Tacoma Public Utilities, researchers conducted a billing analysis for Salishan phase 7. Median energy use for the development is 11,000 kWh; annual energy costsmore » are $780, with a fair amount of variation dependent on size of home. Preliminary analysis of savings between Salishan 7 and previous phases (4 through 6) suggest savings of between 20 and 30 percent. A more comprehensive comparison between Salishan 7 and previous phases will take place in year two of this project.« less

Evaluation of Savings in Energy-Efficient Public Housing in the Pacific Northwest

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gordon, A.; Lubliner, M.; Howard, L.

2013-10-01

This report presents the results of an energy performance and cost-effectiveness analysis. The Salishan phase 7 and demonstration homes were compared to Salishan phase 6 homes built to 2006 Washington State Energy Code specifications 2. Predicted annual energy savings (over Salishan phase 6) was 19% for Salishan phase 7, and between 19-24% for the demonstration homes (depending on ventilationstrategy). Approximately two-thirds of the savings are attributable to the DHP. Working with the electric utility provider, Tacoma Public Utilities, researchers conducted a billing analysis for Salishan phase 7. Median energy use for the development is 11,000 kWh; annual energy costs aremore » $780, with a fair amount of variation dependent on size of home. Preliminary analysis of savings betweenSalishan 7 and previous phases (4 through 6) suggest savings of between 20 and 30 percent. A more comprehensive comparison between Salishan 7 and previous phases will take place in year two of this project.« less

Study on improving the turbidity measurement of the absolute coagulation rate constant.

PubMed

Sun, Zhiwei; Liu, Jie; Xu, Shenghua

2006-05-23

The existing theories dealing with the evaluation of the absolute coagulation rate constant by turbidity measurement were experimentally tested for different particle-sized (radius = a) suspensions at incident wavelengths (lambda) ranging from near-infrared to ultraviolet light. When the size parameter alpha = 2pi a/lambda > 3, the rate constant data from previous theories for fixed-sized particles show significant inconsistencies at different light wavelengths. We attribute this problem to the imperfection of these theories in describing the light scattering from doublets through their evaluation of the extinction cross section. The evaluations of the rate constants by all previous theories become untenable as the size parameter increases and therefore hampers the applicable range of the turbidity measurement. By using the T-matrix method, we present a robust solution for evaluating the extinction cross section of doublets formed in the aggregation. Our experiments show that this new approach is effective in extending the applicability range of the turbidity methodology and increasing measurement accuracy.

Future global mortality from changes in air pollution attributable to climate change

DOE PAGES

Silva, Raquel A.; West, J. Jason; Lamarque, Jean-François; ...

2017-07-31

Ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are associated with premature human mortality(1-4); their future concentrations depend on changes in emissions, which dominate the near-term(5), and on climate change(6,7). Previous global studies of the air-quality-related health effects of future climate change(8,9) used single atmospheric models. But, in related studies, mortality results differ among models(10-12). Here we use an ensemble of global chemistry-climate models(13) to show that premature mortality from changes in air pollution attributable to climate change, under the high greenhouse gas scenario RCP8.5 (ref. 14), is probably positive. We estimate 3,340 (-30,300 to 47,100) ozone-related deaths in 2030, relativemore » to 2000 climate, and 43,600 (-195,000 to 237,000) in 2100 (14% of the increase in global ozone-related mortality). For PM2.5, we estimate 55,600 (-34,300 to 164,000) deaths in 2030 and 215,000 (-76,100 to 595,000) in 2100 (countering by 16% the global decrease in PM2.5-related mortality). Premature mortality attributable to climate change is estimated to be positive in all regions except Africa, and is greatest in India and East Asia. Finally, most individual models yield increased mortality from climate change, but some yield decreases, suggesting caution in interpreting results from a single model. Climate change mitigation is likely to reduce air-pollution-related mortality.« less

Future Global Mortality from Changes in Air Pollution Attributable to Climate Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silva, Raquel A.; West, J. Jason; Lamarque, Jean-Francois; Shindell, Drew T.; Collins, William J.; Faluvegi, Greg; Folberth, Gerd A.; Horowitz, Larry W.; Nagashima, Tatsuya; Naik, Vaishali;

Future global mortality from changes in air pollution attributable to climate change

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Silva, Raquel A.; West, J. Jason; Lamarque, Jean-François

Ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are associated with premature human mortality(1-4); their future concentrations depend on changes in emissions, which dominate the near-term(5), and on climate change(6,7). Previous global studies of the air-quality-related health effects of future climate change(8,9) used single atmospheric models. But, in related studies, mortality results differ among models(10-12). Here we use an ensemble of global chemistry-climate models(13) to show that premature mortality from changes in air pollution attributable to climate change, under the high greenhouse gas scenario RCP8.5 (ref. 14), is probably positive. We estimate 3,340 (-30,300 to 47,100) ozone-related deaths in 2030, relativemore » to 2000 climate, and 43,600 (-195,000 to 237,000) in 2100 (14% of the increase in global ozone-related mortality). For PM2.5, we estimate 55,600 (-34,300 to 164,000) deaths in 2030 and 215,000 (-76,100 to 595,000) in 2100 (countering by 16% the global decrease in PM2.5-related mortality). Premature mortality attributable to climate change is estimated to be positive in all regions except Africa, and is greatest in India and East Asia. Finally, most individual models yield increased mortality from climate change, but some yield decreases, suggesting caution in interpreting results from a single model. Climate change mitigation is likely to reduce air-pollution-related mortality.« less

Computational Study of the Malonic Acid Tautomerization Products in Highly Concentrated Particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dick-Pérez, Marilú; Windus, Theresa L.

Knowing the tautomeric form of malonic acid (MA) in concentrated particles is critical to understanding its effect on the atmosphere. Energies and vibrational modes of hydrated MA particles were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level and the effective fragment potential (EFP) method. Visualization of the keto and enol isomer vibrational modes enabled the assignment of keto isomer peaks in the 1710–1750 cm –1 range, and previously unidentified experimental IR peaks in the 1690–1710 cm –1 can now be attributed to the enol isomer. Furthermore, a comparison of calculated spectra of pure hydrated enol or keto isomersmore » confirm recent experimental evidence, of a shift in the keto–enol tautomer equilibrium when MA exists as concentrated particles.« less

Computational Study of the Malonic Acid Tautomerization Products in Highly Concentrated Particles

DOE PAGES

Dick-Pérez, Marilú; Windus, Theresa L.

2017-03-09

Knowing the tautomeric form of malonic acid (MA) in concentrated particles is critical to understanding its effect on the atmosphere. Energies and vibrational modes of hydrated MA particles were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level and the effective fragment potential (EFP) method. Visualization of the keto and enol isomer vibrational modes enabled the assignment of keto isomer peaks in the 1710–1750 cm –1 range, and previously unidentified experimental IR peaks in the 1690–1710 cm –1 can now be attributed to the enol isomer. Furthermore, a comparison of calculated spectra of pure hydrated enol or keto isomersmore » confirm recent experimental evidence, of a shift in the keto–enol tautomer equilibrium when MA exists as concentrated particles.« less

Enhanced ion signals in desorption electrospray ionization using surfactant spray solutions.

PubMed

Badu-Tawiah, Abraham; Cooks, R Graham

2010-08-01

Solvent optimization is an important procedure in desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) and in this study the effects of solvent surface tension are explored. Data are presented for methanol/water/surfactant solvent systems, which show increases in ion signals of more than an order of magnitude when low concentrations of surfactants are added to the standard methanol/water (1:1) spray solvent. Examples of analytes tested include food chemicals, peptides, pharmaceuticals, and drugs of abuse. The improvement in ion intensity is mainly attributed to the effect of surface tension in producing smaller spray droplets, which are shown to cover a larger surface area. Surfactant-containing spray solutions allowed extension of DESI-MS analysis to previously intractable analytes like melamine and highly hydrophobic compounds like the sudan dyes. Copyright 2010 American Society for Mass Spectrometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unidirectional Spin-Wave-Propagation-Induced Seebeck Voltage in a PEDOT:PSS/YIG Bilayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, P.; Zhou, L. F.; Jiang, S. W.; Luan, Z. Z.; Shu, D. J.; Ding, H. F.; Wu, D.

2018-01-01

We clarify the physical origin of the dc voltage generation in a bilayer of a conducting polymer film and a micrometer-thick magnetic insulator Y3Fe5O12 (YIG) film under ferromagnetic resonance and/or spin wave excitation conditions. The previous attributed mechanism, the inverse spin Hall effect in the polymer [Nat. Mater. 12, 622 (2013), 10.1038/nmat3634], is excluded by two control experiments. We find an in-plane temperature gradient in YIG which has the same angular dependence with the generated voltage. Both vanish when the YIG thickness is reduced to a few nanometers. Thus, we argue that the dc voltage is governed by the Seebeck effect in the polymer, where the temperature gradient is created by the nonreciprocal magnetostatic surface spin wave propagation in YIG.

Effect of proton irradiation on superconductivity in optimally doped BaFe 2 ( As 1 - x P x ) 2 single crystals

DOE PAGES

Smylie, M. P.; Leroux, M.; Mishra, V.; ...

2016-03-10

In this paper, irradiation with 4 MeV protons was used to systematically introduce defects in single crystals of the iron-arsenide superconductor BaFe 2(As 1-xP x) 2, x = 0.33. The effect of disorder on the low-temperature behavior of the London penetration depth λ(T) and transition temperature T c was investigated. In nearly optimally doped samples with T c ~ 29 K, signatures of a superconducting gap with nodes were observed. Contrary to previous reports on electron-irradiated crystals, we do not see a disorder-driven lifting of accidental nodes, and we observe that proton-induced defects are weaker pair breakers than electron-induced defects.more » Finally, we attribute our findings to anisotropic electron scattering caused by proton irradiation defects.« less

The effects of bilingualism on toddlers’ executive functioning

PubMed Central

Poulin-Dubois, Diane; Blaye, Agnes; Coutya, Julie; Bialystok, Ellen

2015-01-01

Bilingual children have been shown to outperform monolingual children on tasks measuring executive functioning skills. This advantage is usually attributed to bilinguals’ extensive practice in exercising selective attention and cognitive flexibility during language use because both languages are active when one of them is being used. We examined whether this advantage is observed in 24-month-olds who have had much less experience in language production. A battery of executive functioning tasks and the cognitive scale of the Bayley test were administered to 63 monolingual and bilingual children. Native bilingual children performed significantly better than monolingual children on the Stroop task, with no difference between groups on the other tasks, confirming the specificity of bilingual effects to conflict tasks reported in older children. These results demonstrate that bilingual advantages in executive control emerge at an age not previously shown. PMID:21122877

Thyroid-specific questions on work ability showed known-groups validity among Danes with thyroid diseases.

PubMed

Nexo, Mette Andersen; Watt, Torquil; Bonnema, Steen Joop; Hegedüs, Laszlo; Rasmussen, Åse Krogh; Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla; Bjorner, Jakob Bue

2015-07-01

We aimed to identify the best approach to work ability assessment in patients with thyroid disease by evaluating the factor structure, measurement equivalence, known-groups validity, and predictive validity of a broad set of work ability items. Based on the literature and interviews with thyroid patients, 24 work ability items were selected from previous questionnaires, revised, or developed anew. Items were tested among 632 patients with thyroid disease (non-toxic goiter, toxic nodular goiter, Graves' disease (with or without orbitopathy), autoimmune hypothyroidism, and other thyroid diseases), 391 of which had participated in a study 5 years previously. Responses to select items were compared to general population data. We used confirmatory factor analyses for categorical data, logistic regression analyses and tests of differential item function, and head-to-head comparisons of relative validity in distinguishing known groups. Although all work ability items loaded on a common factor, the optimal factor solution included five factors: role physical, role emotional, thyroid-specific limitations, work limitations (without disease attribution), and work performance. The scale on thyroid-specific limitations showed the most power in distinguishing clinical groups and time since diagnosis. A global single item proved useful for comparisons with the general population, and a thyroid-specific item predicted labor market exclusion within the next 5 years (OR 5.0, 95 % CI 2.7-9.1). Items on work limitations with attribution to thyroid disease were most effective in detecting impact on work ability and showed good predictive validity. Generic work ability items remain useful for general population comparisons.

Dependence of future mortality changes on global CO2 concentrations: A review.

PubMed

Lee, Jae Young; Choi, Hayoung; Kim, Ho

2018-05-01

The heterogeneity among previous studies of future mortality projections due to climate change has often hindered comparisons and syntheses of resulting impacts. To address this challenge, the present study introduced a novel method to normalize the results from projection studies according to different baseline and projection periods and climate scenarios, thereby facilitating comparison and synthesis. This study reviewed the 15 previous studies involving projected climate change-related mortality under Representative Concentration Pathways. To synthesize their results, we first reviewed the important study design elements that affected the reported results in previous studies. Then, we normalized the reported results by CO 2 concentration in order to eliminate the effects of the baseline period, projection period, and climate scenario choices. For twenty-five locations worldwide, the normalized percentage changes in temperature-attributable mortality per 100 ppm increase in global CO 2 concentrations ranged between 41.9% and 330%, whereas those of total mortality ranged between 0.3% and 4.8%. The normalization methods presented in this work will guide future studies to provide their results in a normalized format and facilitate research synthesis to reinforce our understanding on the risk of climate change. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial earthquake hazard assessment of Evansville, Indiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rockaway, T.D.; Frost, J.D.; Eggert, D.L.; Luna, R.

1997-01-01

The earthquake hazard has been evaluated for a 150-square-kilometer area around Evansville, Indiana. GIS-QUAKE, a system that combines liquefaction and ground motion analysis routines with site-specific geological, geotechnical, and seismological information, was used for the analysis. The hazard potential was determined by using 586 SPT borings, 27 CPT sounding, 39 shear-wave velocity profiles and synthesized acceleration records for body-wave magnitude 6.5 and 7.3 mid-continental earthquakes, occurring at distances of 50 km and 250 km, respectively. The results of the GIS-QUAKE hazard analyses for Evansville identify areas with a high hazard potential that had not previously been identified in earthquake zonation studies. The Pigeon Creek area specifically is identified as having significant potential for liquefaction-induced damage. Damage as a result of ground motion amplification is determined to be a moderate concern throughout the area. Differences in the findings of this zonation study and previous work are attributed to the size and range of the database, the hazard evaluation methodologies, and the geostatistical interpolation techniques used to estimate the hazard potential. Further, assumptions regarding the groundwater elevations made in previous studies are also considered to have had a significant effect on the results.

Impacts of sediments on coral energetics: partitioning the effects of turbidity and settling particles.

PubMed

Junjie, Reef K; Browne, Nicola K; Erftemeijer, Paul L A; Todd, Peter A

2014-01-01

Sediment loads have long been known to be deleterious to corals, but the effects of turbidity and settling particles have not previously been partitioned. This study provides a novel approach using inert silicon carbide powder to partition and quantify the mechanical effects of sediment settling versus reduced light under a chronically high sedimentary regime on two turbid water corals commonly found in Singapore (Galaxea fascicularis and Goniopora somaliensis). Coral fragments were evenly distributed among three treatments: an open control (30% ambient PAR), a shaded control (15% ambient PAR) and sediment treatment (15% ambient PAR; 26.4 mg cm(-2) day(-1)). The rate of photosynthesis and respiration, and the dark-adapted quantum yield were measured once a week for four weeks. By week four, the photosynthesis to respiration ratio (P/R ratio) and the photosynthetic yield (Fv/Fm) had fallen by 14% and 3-17% respectively in the shaded control, contrasting with corals exposed to sediments whose P/R ratio and yield had declined by 21% and 18-34% respectively. The differences in rates between the shaded control and the sediment treatment were attributed to the mechanical effects of sediment deposition. The physiological response to sediment stress differed between species with G. fascicularis experiencing a greater decline in the net photosynthetic yield (13%) than G. somaliensis (9.5%), but a smaller increase in the respiration rates (G. fascicularis = 9.9%, G. somaliensis  = 14.2%). These different physiological responses were attributed, in part, to coral morphology and highlighted key physiological processes that drive species distribution along high to low turbidity and depositional gradients.

Effects of playing a violent video game as male versus female avatar on subsequent aggression in male and female players.

PubMed

Yang, Grace S; Huesmann, L Rowell; Bushman, Brad J

2014-01-01

Previous research has shown that violent video games can increase aggression in players immediately after they play. The present research examines the effects of one subtle cue within violent video games that might moderate these effects-whether the avatar is male or female. One common stereotype is that males are more aggressive than females. Thus, playing a violent video game as a male avatar, compared to a female avatar, should be more likely to prime aggressive thoughts and inclinations in players and lead to more aggressive behavior afterwards. Male and female university students (N = 242) were randomly assigned to play a violent video game as a male or female avatar. After gameplay, participants gave an ostensible partner who hated spicy food hot sauce to eat. The amount of hot sauce given was used to measure aggression. Consistent with priming theory, results showed that both male and female participants who played a violent game as a male avatar behaved more aggressively afterwards than those who played as female avatar. The priming effects of the male avatar were somewhat stronger for male participants than for female participants, suggesting that male participants identified more with the male avatar than did the female participants. These results are particularly noteworthy because they are consistent with another recent experiment showing that playing a violent game as an avatar with a different stereotypically aggressive attribute (black skin color) stimulates more aggression than playing as an avatar without the stereotypically aggressive attribute (Yang et al., 2014, Social Psychological and Personality Science). © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Beat them or ban them: the characteristics and social functions of anger and contempt.

PubMed

Fischer, Agneta H; Roseman, Ira J

2007-07-01

This article reports 3 studies in which the authors examined (a) the distinctive characteristics of anger and contempt responses and (b) the interpersonal causes and effects of both emotions. In the 1st study, the authors examined the distinction between the 2 emotions; in the 2nd study, the authors tested whether contempt could be predicted from previous anger incidents with the same person; and in the 3rd study, the authors examined the effects of type of relationship on anger and contempt reactions. The results of the 3 studies show that anger and contempt often occur together but that there are clear distinctions between the 2 emotions: Anger is characterized more by short-term attack responses but long-term reconciliation, whereas contempt is characterized by rejection and social exclusion of the other person, both in the short-term and in the long-term. The authors also found that contempt may develop out of previously experienced anger and that a lack of intimacy with and perceived control over the behavior of the other person, as well as negative dispositional attributions about the other person, predicted the emergence of contempt. Copyright 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

Positive-spillover effects from job to home: a closer look.

PubMed

Barnett, R C; Marshall, N L; Sayer, A

1992-01-01

What is the association between subjective experiences in two roles, employee and mother, and women's psychological distress? Previous research indicated that employed mothers with troubled mother-child relationships reported high levels of psychological distress, unless they were in rewarding jobs. In this paper, using data from the same sample of 228 employed mothers, we explored further the above finding by addressing two related questions: (1) which job rewards mitigate the relationship between parent-role quality and psychological distress?; and (2) which parental concerns are buffered by these stress mitigators? The main finding was that having a rewarding job per se did not automatically serve as a parent-stress mitigator. Although several job-reward factors (e.g., Helping Others at Work, Challenge), were associated with reports of low distress, Challenge was the only job-reward factor that mitigated parental stress. Thus, the previously reported positive-spillover effect from work to home was attributable to the presence of rewards from challenging work. However, Challenge buffers only particular parent concerns. For employed mothers, a job high in rewards from Challenge mitigates the distress associated with Disaffection (not Burden or Safety) in their relationships with their children.

The impact of obesity on US mortality levels: the importance of age and cohort factors in population estimates.

PubMed

Masters, Ryan K; Reither, Eric N; Powers, Daniel A; Yang, Y Claire; Burger, Andrew E; Link, Bruce G

2013-10-01

To estimate the percentage of excess death for US Black and White men and women associated with high body mass, we examined the combined effects of age variation in the obesity-mortality relationship and cohort variation in age-specific obesity prevalence. We examined 19 National Health Interview Survey waves linked to individual National Death Index mortality records, 1986-2006, for age and cohort patterns in the population-level association between obesity and US adult mortality. The estimated percentage of adult deaths between 1986 and 2006 associated with overweight and obesity was 5.0% and 15.6% for Black and White men, and 26.8% and 21.7% for Black and White women, respectively. We found a substantially stronger association than previous research between obesity and mortality risk at older ages, and an increasing percentage of mortality attributable to obesity across birth cohorts. Previous research has likely underestimated obesity's impact on US mortality. Methods attentive to cohort variation in obesity prevalence and age variation in obesity's effect on mortality risk suggest that obesity significantly shapes US mortality levels, placing it at the forefront of concern for public health action.

Sensory adaptation for timing perception.

PubMed

Roseboom, Warrick; Linares, Daniel; Nishida, Shin'ya

2015-04-22

Recent sensory experience modifies subjective timing perception. For example, when visual events repeatedly lead auditory events, such as when the sound and video tracks of a movie are out of sync, subsequent vision-leads-audio presentations are reported as more simultaneous. This phenomenon could provide insights into the fundamental problem of how timing is represented in the brain, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that the effect of recent experience on timing perception is not just subjective; recent sensory experience also modifies relative timing discrimination. This result indicates that recent sensory history alters the encoding of relative timing in sensory areas, excluding explanations of the subjective phenomenon based only on decision-level changes. The pattern of changes in timing discrimination suggests the existence of two sensory components, similar to those previously reported for visual spatial attributes: a lateral shift in the nonlinear transducer that maps relative timing into perceptual relative timing and an increase in transducer slope around the exposed timing. The existence of these components would suggest that previous explanations of how recent experience may change the sensory encoding of timing, such as changes in sensory latencies or simple implementations of neural population codes, cannot account for the effect of sensory adaptation on timing perception.

Predicting hospital choice for rural Medicare beneficiaries: the role of severity of illness.

PubMed Central

Adams, E K; Houchens, R; Wright, G E; Robbins, J

1991-01-01

Previous research has confirmed that desirable hospital attributes as well as increased distance, or travel time, have an impact on hospital choice. These studies have become increasingly sophisticated in modeling choice. This study adds to the existing literature by estimating the effect of both hospital and individual characteristics on hospital choice, using McFadden's conditional logit model. Some patient characteristics have not previously been accounted for in this type of analysis. In particular, the effect of a patient's complexity of illness (as measured by Disease Staging) on the choice of hospital is taken into account. The data consist of over 12,000 Medicare discharges in three overlapping rural market areas during 1986. The hospital choice set was aggregated into seven groups of urban and rural hospitals. Results indicate that rural Medicare beneficiaries tend to choose hospitals with a large scope of service and with teaching activity over those with a lower scope of service and no teaching activity, holding other factors constant. Distance is a deterrent to hospital choice, especially for older Medicare beneficiaries. The more complex cases tend to choose larger urban and rural hospitals over small rural hospitals more often than less complex cases do. PMID:1743970

Unconscious symmetrical inferences: A role of consciousness in event integration.

PubMed

Alonso, Diego; Fuentes, Luis J; Hommel, Bernhard

2006-06-01

Explicit and implicit learning have been attributed to different learning processes that create different types of knowledge structures. Consistent with that claim, our study provides evidence that people integrate stimulus events differently when consciously aware versus unaware of the relationship between the events. In a first, acquisition phase participants sorted words into two categories (A and B), which were fully predicted by task-irrelevant primes-the labels of two other, semantically unrelated categories (C and D). In a second, test phase participants performed a lexical decision task, in which all word stimuli stemmed from the previous prime categories (C and D) and the (now nonpredictive) primes were the labels of the previous target categories (A and B). Reliable priming effects in the second phase demonstrated that bidirectional associations between the respective categories had been formed in the acquisition phase (A<-->C and B<-->D), but these effects were found only in participants that were unaware of the relationship between the categories! We suggest that unconscious, implicit learning of event relationships results in the rather unsophisticated integration (i.e., bidirectional association) of the underlying event representations, whereas explicit learning takes the meaning of the order of the events into account, and thus creates unidirectional associations.

Retrograde air escape via the nasolacrimal system: a previously unrecognized complication of continuous positive airway pressure in the management of obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Singh, Narinder Pal; Walker, Robbie James Eades; Cowan, Fiona; Davidson, Arthur Craig; Roberts, David Newton

2014-05-01

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Eye-related side effects of CPAP are commonly attributed to a poorly sealed mask, allowing leaked air to blow over the eye. We present 3 cases where attended polysomnography (A-PSG) demonstrated CPAP-associated retrograde air escape via the nasolacrimal system (CRANS) in the absence of any mask leaks. Symptoms included dry eye, epiphora, air escape from the medial canthus, and eyelid flutter. Symptoms were controlled with a variety of surgical and nonsurgical techniques. CRANS represents a previously undescribed clinical entity. CRANS may be responsible for some CPAP-related eye side effects and possibly for rarer secondary eye complications, including conjunctivitis and corneal ulceration. CRANS should be suspected in any patient on CPAP complaining of eye symptoms. CRANS may be diagnosed through careful observation during A-PSG and confirmed by performing a "saline bubble test." Management options include nonsurgical (mask alternatives, humidification, nasopharyngeal airway) and surgical techniques (nasal airway surgery, inferior turbinate out-fracture and adhesion, injection of bulking agent around Hasner's valve).

Secure Data Access Control for Fog Computing Based on Multi-Authority Attribute-Based Signcryption with Computation Outsourcing and Attribute Revocation

PubMed Central

Xu, Qian; Tan, Chengxiang; Fan, Zhijie; Zhu, Wenye; Xiao, Ya; Cheng, Fujia

2018-01-01

Nowadays, fog computing provides computation, storage, and application services to end users in the Internet of Things. One of the major concerns in fog computing systems is how fine-grained access control can be imposed. As a logical combination of attribute-based encryption and attribute-based signature, Attribute-based Signcryption (ABSC) can provide confidentiality and anonymous authentication for sensitive data and is more efficient than traditional “encrypt-then-sign” or “sign-then-encrypt” strategy. Thus, ABSC is suitable for fine-grained access control in a semi-trusted cloud environment and is gaining more and more attention recently. However, in many existing ABSC systems, the computation cost required for the end users in signcryption and designcryption is linear with the complexity of signing and encryption access policy. Moreover, only a single authority that is responsible for attribute management and key generation exists in the previous proposed ABSC schemes, whereas in reality, mostly, different authorities monitor different attributes of the user. In this paper, we propose OMDAC-ABSC, a novel data access control scheme based on Ciphertext-Policy ABSC, to provide data confidentiality, fine-grained control, and anonymous authentication in a multi-authority fog computing system. The signcryption and designcryption overhead for the user is significantly reduced by outsourcing the undesirable computation operations to fog nodes. The proposed scheme is proven to be secure in the standard model and can provide attribute revocation and public verifiability. The security analysis, asymptotic complexity comparison, and implementation results indicate that our construction can balance the security goals with practical efficiency in computation. PMID:29772840

Condom-associated erection problems: behavioural responses and attributions in young, heterosexual men

PubMed Central

Hill, Brandon J.; Sanders, Stephanie A.; Crosby, Richard A.; Ingelhart, Kara N.; Janssen, Erick

2015-01-01

Background Previous studies have associated men who experience condom-associated erection problems (CAEP) with incomplete condom use and/or foregoing using condoms altogether. However, how men respond to CAEP and what they attribute CAEP to, remains unclear. Understanding young men's CAEP responses and attributions could help improve sexually transmissible infections (STI)/HIV prevention programs and interventions. Methods Behavioural responses to, and attributions for, CAEP during application (CAEP-Application) and/or during penile-vaginal intercourse (CAEP-PVI) were reported using an online questionnaire by 295 young, heterosexual men (aged 18–24 years) who were recruited via social media websites and university Listservs across major cities in the Midwestern USA. Results Behavioural responses to CAEP-Application included receiving oral or manual stimulation, stimulating a partner, self-stimulation, foregoing condom use and applying the condom after starting intercourse. Attributions for CAEP-Application included: distraction, fit and feel problems, application taking too long and having consumed too much alcohol. Behavioural responses to CAEP-PVI included increasing the intensity of intercourse, removing the condom to receive oral or manual stimulation and removing condom and continuing intercourse. Attributions for CAEP-PVI included: lack of sensation, taking too long to orgasm, not being ‘turned on’ enough, fit and feel problems and partner-related factors. Conclusions Men who report CAEP respond with both STI/HIV risk-reducing and potentially risk-increasing behaviours (e.g. forgoing condom use). Men attribute their experiences to a wide range of individual- and partner-level factors. Addressing men's CAEP behavioural responses and attributions may increase the efficacious value of condom programs and STI/HIV prevention interventions – particularly among men who experience CAEP. PMID:26166025

Valence and agency influence striatal response to feedback in patients with major depressive disorder

PubMed Central

Späti, Jakub; Chumbley, Justin; Doerig, Nadja; Brakowski, Janis; Holtforth, Martin Grosse; Seifritz, Erich; Spinelli, Simona

2015-01-01

Background Reduced sensitivity to positive feedback is common in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, findings regarding negative feedback are ambiguous, with both exaggerated and blunted responses being reported. The ventral striatum (VS) plays a major role in processing valenced feedback, and previous imaging studies have shown that the locus of controls (self agency v. external agency) over the outcome influences VS response to feedback. We investigated whether attributing the outcome to one’s own action or to an external agent influences feedback processing in patients with MDD. We hypothesized that depressed participants would be less sensitive to the feedback attribution reflected by an altered VS response to self-attributed gains and losses. Methods Using functional MRI and a motion prediction task, we investigated the neural responses to self-attributed (SA) and externally attributed (EA) monetary gains and losses in unmedicated patients with MDD and healthy controls. Results We included 21 patients and 25 controls in our study. Consistent with our prediction, healthy controls showed a VS response influenced by feedback valence and attribution, whereas in depressed patients striatal activity was modulated by valence but was insensitive to attribution. This attribution insensitivity led to an altered ventral putamen response for SA – EA losses in patients with MDD compared with healthy controls. Limitations Depressed patients with comorbid anxiety disorder were included. Conclusion These results suggest an altered assignment of motivational salience to SA losses in patients with MDD. Altered striatal response to SA negative events may reinforce the belief of not being in control of negative outcomes contributing to a cycle of learned helplessness. PMID:26107160

Individual Differences in Working Memory Capacity Predict Retrieval-Induced Forgetting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aslan, Alp; Bauml, Karl-Heinz T.

2011-01-01

Selectively retrieving a subset of previously studied information enhances memory for the retrieved information but causes forgetting of related, nonretrieved information. Such retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) has often been attributed to inhibitory executive-control processes that supposedly suppress the nonretrieved items' memory…

The Structure of the Chinese Academic Labor Market, 1997-2004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Mujuan

2009-01-01

Universalism is critical to the development of science because it promotes the objectivity of knowledge. Particularism, on the other hand, evaluates scientists' contributions based on functionally irrelevant characteristics, including personal attributes and academic origins. Previous studies found a persistent significant correlation between…

Property.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piele, Philip K.

Numerous cases in this year's chapter dealt with the same topics of previous years--contracts and bids for building construction, and detachment and annexation of a portion of a school district. The courts continued to attribute board discretionary authority to school boards in school property matters. Intergovernmental disputes over ownership or…

Two-dimensional magnetotelluric inversion using reflection seismic data as constraints and application in the COSC project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Ping; Kalscheuer, Thomas; Hedin, Peter; Garcia Juanatey, Maria A.

2017-04-01

We present a novel 2-D magnetotelluric (MT) inversion scheme, in which the local weights of the regularizing smoothness constraints are based on the envelope attribute of a reflection seismic image. The weights resemble those of a previously published seismic modification of the minimum gradient support method. We measure the directional gradients of the seismic envelope to modify the horizontal and vertical smoothness constraints separately. Successful application of the inversion to MT field data of the Collisional Orogeny in the Scandinavian Caledonides (COSC) project using the envelope attribute of the COSC reflection seismic profile helped to reduce the uncertainty of the interpretation of the main décollement by demonstrating that the associated alum shales may be much thinner than suggested by a previous inversion model. Thus, the new model supports the proposed location of a future borehole COSC-2 which is hoped to penetrate the main décollement and the underlying Precambrian basement.

Feelings of past lives as expected perturbations within the neurocognitive processes that generate the sense of self: contributions from limbic lability and vectorial hemisphericity.

PubMed

Persinger, M A

1996-12-01

Normal, young men and women who believed they may have lived a previous life (n = 21) or who did not endorse (n = 52) this belief of "reincarnation" were exposed to partial sensory deprivation and received transcerebral stimulation by burst-firing magnetic fields over either the left or right hemisphere. Individuals who reported belief in reincarnation could be discriminated from nonbelievers by their more frequent report of experiences of tingling sensations, spinning, detachment of consciousness from the body, and intrusions of thoughts that were not attributed to the sense of self. The results support the hypothesis that there may be neurocognitive processes which identify experiences as originating from the sense of self (episodic or autobiographical memory) or "not self." When anomalous experiences are beyond the boundary of the experiences contained with the generalization gradient of concurrent autobiographical memory, they are more likely to be attributed to culturally available default explanations such as living a previous life.

Detection and attribution of flood change across the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Archfield, Stacey

2017-04-01

In the United States, there have a been an increasing number of studies quantifying trends in the annual maximum flood; yet, few studies examine trends in floods that may occur more than once in a given year and even fewer assess trends in floods on rivers that have undergone substantial changes due to urbanization, land-cover change, and agricultural drainage practices. Previous research has shown that, for streamgages having minimal direct human intervention, trends in the peak magnitude, frequency, duration and volume of frequent floods (floods occurring at an average of two events per year relative to a base period) across the United States show large changes; however, few trends are found to be statistically significant. This study extends previous research to provide a comprehensive assessment of flood change across the United States that includes streamgages having experienced confounding alterations to streamflow (urbanization, storage, and land-cover changes) that provides a comprehensive assessment of flood change. Attribution of these changes is also explored.

Preclinical medical students' understandings of academic and medical professionalism: visual analysis of mind maps.

PubMed

Janczukowicz, Janusz; Rees, Charlotte E

2017-08-18

Several studies have begun to explore medical students' understandings of professionalism generally and medical professionalism specifically. Despite espoused relationships between academic (AP) and medical professionalism (MP), previous research has not yet investigated students' conceptualisations of AP and MP and the relationships between the two. The current study, based on innovative visual analysis of mind maps, therefore aims to contribute to the developing literature on how professionalism is understood. We performed a multilayered analysis of 98 mind maps from 262 first-year medical students, including analysing textual and graphical elements of AP, MP and the relationships between AP and MP. The most common textual attributes of AP were learning, lifestyle and personality, while attributes of MP were knowledge, ethics and patient-doctor relations. Images of books, academic caps and teachers were used most often to represent AP, while images of the stethoscope, doctor and red cross were used to symbolise MP. While AP-MP relations were sometimes indicated through co-occurring text, visual connections and higher-order visual metaphors, many students struggled to articulate the relationships between AP and MP. While the mind maps' textual attributes shared similarities with those found in previous research, suggesting the universality of some professionalism attributes, our study provides new insights into students' conceptualisations of AP, MP and AP-MP relationships. We encourage medical educators to help students develop their understandings of AP, MP and AP-MP relationships, plus consider the feasibility and value of mind maps as a source of visual data for medical education research. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

[Causal "cancer personality" attribution--an expression of maladaptive coping with illness?].

PubMed

Faller, H; Lang, H; Schilling, S

1996-01-01

In psycho-oncology, the concept of a "cancer-prone personality" has gained some attention. This notion means that persons who try to stay pseudo-normal in spite of severe life stress, suppress negative emotions, particularly anger, and sacrifice themselves for other people without uttering any personal demands, are at a high risk to develop cancer. However, it has been demonstrated by previous research that features of the cancer-prone personality could only be found if the ill person was convinced to suffer from cancer, irrespective of what the factual diagnosis was. Thus it can be concluded that at least some aspects of the so called cancer personality might be the results of coping with the belief of having cancer. The present study had the objective to describe causal attributions to psychosocial factors in cancer patients, and to find out if these were connected with emotional state and coping. N = 120 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients were included in the study. The instruments consisted of a semi-structured interview, a check-list of subjective causal factors, self-reports and interviewer ratings on emotional state and standardised questionnaires about depression and coping. Patients who made a psychosocial causal attribution proved to suffer from greater emotional distress, to be more depressed and less hopeful than other patients. This difference seemed to be mediated by a depressive way of coping with the illness (brooding, wrangling). Thus, an attribution of the illness to psychological factors seems indicative of a maladaptive way of coping with illness. This result is supported by similar findings of previous research. The question is put up to discussion if the psychosomatic concept of a cancer personality may reflect patients' subjective theories which in turn may be the expression of their depressive coping modes.

Recipient Glycemic Micro-environments Govern Therapeutic Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Infusion on Osteopenia

PubMed Central

Sui, Bing-Dong; Hu, Cheng-Hu; Zheng, Chen-Xi; Shuai, Yi; He, Xiao-Ning; Gao, Ping-Ping; Zhao, Pan; Li, Meng; Zhang, Xin-Yi; He, Tao; Xuan, Kun; Jin, Yan

2017-01-01

Therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) infusion have been revealed in various human disorders, but impacts of diseased micro-environments are only beginning to be noticed. Donor diabetic hyperglycemia is reported to impair therapeutic efficacy of stem cells. However, whether recipient diabetic condition also affects MSC-mediated therapy is unknown. We and others have previously shown that MSC infusion could cure osteopenia, particularly in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. Here, we discovered impaired MSC therapeutic effects on osteopenia in recipient type 1 diabetes (T1D). Through intensive glycemic control by daily insulin treatments, therapeutic effects of MSCs on osteopenia were maintained. Interestingly, by only transiently restoration of recipient euglycemia using single insulin injection, MSC infusion could also rescue T1D-induced osteopenia. Conversely, under recipient hyperglycemia induced by glucose injection in OVX mice, MSC-mediated therapeutic effects on osteopenia were diminished. Mechanistically, recipient hyperglycemic micro-environments reduce anti-inflammatory capacity of MSCs in osteoporotic therapy through suppressing MSC interaction with T cells via the Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. We further revealed in diabetic micro-environments, double infusion of MSCs ameliorated osteopenia by anti-inflammation, attributed to the first transplanted MSCs which normalized the recipient glucose homeostasis. Collectively, our findings uncover a previously unrecognized role of recipient glycemic conditions controlling MSC-mediated therapy, and unravel that fulfillment of potent therapeutic effects of MSCs requires tight control of recipient micro-environments. PMID:28435461

Sex differences and similarities in job attribute preferences: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Konrad, A M; Ritchie, J E; Lieb, P; Corrigall, E

2000-07-01

Many researchers have studied sex differences in job attribute preferences. The authors meta-analyzed 242 samples collected from 321,672 men and boys and 316,842 women and girls in the United States between 1970 and 1998. Findings indicated significant (p < .05) sex differences on 33 of 40 job attribute preferences examined. The effect sizes were small. Of the 33 significant differences, 26 had average effect sizes of magnitude .20 or less. The directions of the differences were generally consistent with gender roles and stereotypes. Many job attributes became relatively more important to women and girls in the 1980s and 1990s compared with the 1970s, indicating that women's aspirations to obtain job attributes rose as gender barriers to opportunity declined.

The influence of phytochemical composition and resulting sensory attributes on preference for salad rocket (Eruca sativa) accessions by consumers of varying TAS2R38 diplotype.

PubMed

Bell, Luke; Methven, Lisa; Wagstaff, Carol

2017-05-01

Seven accessions of Eruca sativa ("salad rocket") were subjected to a randomised consumer assessment. Liking of appearance and taste attributes were analysed, as well as perceptions of bitterness, hotness, pepperiness and sweetness. Consumers were genotyped for TAS2R38 status to determine if liking is influenced by perception of bitter compounds such as glucosinolates (GSLs) and isothiocyanates (ITCs). Responses were combined with previously published data relating to phytochemical content and sensory data in Principal Component Analysis to determine compounds influencing liking/perceptions. Hotness, not bitterness, is the main attribute on which consumers base their liking of rocket. Some consumers rejected rocket based on GSL/ITC concentrations, whereas some preferred hotness. Bitter perception did not significantly influence liking of accessions, despite PAV/PAV 'supertasters' scoring higher for this attribute. High sugar-GSL/ITC ratios significantly reduce perceptions of hotness and bitterness for some consumers. Importantly the GSL glucoraphanin does not impart significant influence on liking or perception traits. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Getting off on the Wrong Foot: Longitudinal Effects of Hispanic Students' Stability Attributions Following Poor Initial Test Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Cody B.; Yang, Yan

2012-01-01

Though studies have established that following poor performance, attributions to stable causes affect the performance of minority students, few studies have explored the impact of stability attributions over time. This study explored attributions following initial failure among a predominantly Hispanic student population. We measured students'…

An interval-valued 2-tuple linguistic group decision-making model based on the Choquet integral operator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bingsheng; Fu, Meiqing; Zhang, Shuibo; Xue, Bin; Zhou, Qi; Zhang, Shiruo

2018-01-01

The Choquet integral (IL) operator is an effective approach for handling interdependence among decision attributes in complex decision-making problems. However, the fuzzy measures of attributes and attribute sets required by IL are difficult to achieve directly, which limits the application of IL. This paper proposes a new method for determining fuzzy measures of attributes by extending Marichal's concept of entropy for fuzzy measure. To well represent the assessment information, interval-valued 2-tuple linguistic context is utilised to represent information. Then, we propose a Choquet integral operator in an interval-valued 2-tuple linguistic environment, which can effectively handle the correlation between attributes. In addition, we apply these methods to solve multi-attribute group decision-making problems. The feasibility and validity of the proposed operator is demonstrated by comparisons with other models in illustrative example part.

Emotion regulation and decision making under risk and uncertainty.

PubMed

Heilman, Renata M; Crişan, Liviu G; Houser, Daniel; Miclea, Mircea; Miu, Andrei C

2010-04-01

It is well established that emotion plays a key role in human social and economic decision making. The recent literature on emotion regulation (ER), however, highlights that humans typically make efforts to control emotion experiences. This leaves open the possibility that decision effects previously attributed to acute emotion may be a consequence of acute ER strategies such as cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. In Study 1, we manipulated ER of laboratory-induced fear and disgust, and found that the cognitive reappraisal of these negative emotions promotes risky decisions (reduces risk aversion) in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task and is associated with increased performance in the prehunch/hunch period of the Iowa Gambling Task. In Study 2, we found that naturally occurring negative emotions also increase risk aversion in Balloon Analogue Risk Task, but the incidental use of cognitive reappraisal of emotions impedes this effect. We offer evidence that the increased effectiveness of cognitive reappraisal in reducing the experience of emotions underlies its beneficial effects on decision making. Copyright 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Time course influences transfer of visual perceptual learning across spatial location.

PubMed

Larcombe, S J; Kennard, C; Bridge, H

2017-06-01

Visual perceptual learning describes the improvement of visual perception with repeated practice. Previous research has established that the learning effects of perceptual training may be transferable to untrained stimulus attributes such as spatial location under certain circumstances. However, the mechanisms involved in transfer have not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the effect of altering training time course on the transferability of learning effects. Participants were trained on a motion direction discrimination task or a sinusoidal grating orientation discrimination task in a single visual hemifield. The 4000 training trials were either condensed into one day, or spread evenly across five training days. When participants were trained over a five-day period, there was transfer of learning to both the untrained visual hemifield and the untrained task. In contrast, when the same amount of training was condensed into a single day, participants did not show any transfer of learning. Thus, learning time course may influence the transferability of perceptual learning effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Family support, physical impairment, and adherence in hemodialysis: an investigation of main and buffering effects.

PubMed

Christensen, A J; Smith, T W; Turner, C W; Holman, J M; Gregory, M C; Rich, M A

1992-08-01

Patient noncompliance is a pervasive problem among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Previous studies have implicated social support as an important correlate of adherence behavior in other chronic illness groups, but little research has examined this relationship in a hemodialysis population. The present study examined the main and interactive effects of social support in the family and illness-related physical impairment with regard to patient compliance in a sample of 78 hemodialysis patients. Results indicated that patients holding perceptions of a more supportive family environment exhibited significantly more favorable adherence to fluid-intake restrictions than did patients reporting less family support. Family support was not associated with adherence to dietary restrictions. The effect of family support on fluid-intake adherence was not moderated by level of physical impairment. This pattern suggests that the influence of support on adherence is more attributable to a main or direct effect, as opposed to a buffering process in the face of increased physical impairment.

Effects of amygdala lesions on overexpectation phenomena in food cup approach and autoshaping procedures.

PubMed

Holland, Peter C

2016-08-01

Prediction error (PE) plays a critical role in most modern theories of associative learning, by determining the effectiveness of conditioned stimuli (CS) or unconditioned stimuli (US). Here, we examined the effects of lesions of central (CeA) or basolateral (BLA) amygdala on performance in overexpectation tasks. In 2 experiments, after 2 CSs were separately paired with the US, they were combined and followed by the same US. In a subsequent test, we observed losses in strength of both CSs, as expected if the negative PE generated on reinforced compound trials encouraged inhibitory learning. CeA lesions, known to interfere with PE-induced enhancements in CS effectiveness, reduced those losses, suggesting that normally the negative PE also enhances cue associability in this task. BLA lesions had no effect. When a novel cue accompanied the reinforced compound, it acquired net conditioned inhibition, despite its consistent pairings with the US, consonant with US effectiveness models. That acquisition was unaffected by either CeA or BLA lesions, suggesting different rules for assignment of credit of changes in cue strength and cue associability. Finally, we examined a puzzling autoshaping phenomenon previously attributed to overexpectation effects. When a previously food-paired auditory cue was combined with the insertion of a lever and paired with the same food US, the auditory cue not only failed to block conditioning to the lever, but also lost strength, as in an overexpectation experiment. This effect was abolished by BLA lesions but unaffected by CeA lesions, suggesting it was unrelated to other overexpectation effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of amygdala lesions on overexpectation phenomena in food cup approach and autoshaping procedures

PubMed Central

Holland, Peter C.

2016-01-01

Prediction error (PE) plays a critical role in most modern theories of associative learning, by determining the effectiveness of conditioned or unconditioned stimuli (CS or USs). Here, we examined the effects of lesions of central (CeA) or basolateral (BLA) amygdala on performance in overexpectation tasks. In two experiments, after two CSs were separately paired with the US, they were combined and followed by the same US. In a subsequent test, we observed losses in strength of both CSs, as expected if the negative PE generated on reinforced compound trials encouraged inhibitory learning. CeA lesions, known to interfere with PE-induced enhancements in CS effectiveness, reduced those losses, suggesting that normally the negative PE also enhances cue associability in this task. BLA lesions had no effect. When a novel cue accompanied the reinforced compound, it acquired net conditioned inhibition, despite its consistent pairings with the US, consonant with US effectiveness models. That acquisition was unaffected by either CeA or BLA lesions, suggesting different rules for assignment of credit of changes in cue strength and cue associability. Finally, we examined a puzzling autoshaping phenomenon previously attributed to overexpectation effects. When a previously-food-paired auditory cue was combined with the insertion of a lever and paired with the same food US, the auditory cue not only failed to block conditioning to the lever, but also lost strength, as in an overexpectation experiment. This effect was abolished by BLA lesions but unaffected by CeA lesions, suggesting it was unrelated to other overexpectation effects. PMID:27176564

Teasing apart coercion and surprisal: Evidence from eye-movements and ERPs.

PubMed

Delogu, Francesca; Crocker, Matthew W; Drenhaus, Heiner

2017-04-01

Previous behavioral and electrophysiological studies have presented evidence suggesting that coercion expressions (e.g., began the book) are more difficult to process than control expressions like read the book. While this processing cost has been attributed to a specific coercion operation for recovering an event-sense of the complement (e.g., began reading the book), an alternative view based on the Surprisal Theory of language processing would attribute the cost to the relative unpredictability of the complement noun in the coercion compared to the control condition, with no need to postulate coercion-specific mechanisms. In two experiments, monitoring eye-tracking and event-related potentials (ERPs), respectively, we sought to determine whether there is any evidence for coercion-specific processing cost above-and-beyond the difficulty predicted by surprisal, by contrasting coercing and control expressions with a further control condition in which the predictability of the complement noun was similar to that in the coercion condition (e.g., bought the book). While the eye-tracking study showed significant effects of surprisal and a marginal effect of coercion on late reading measures, the ERP study clearly supported the surprisal account. Overall, our findings suggest that the coercion cost largely reflects the surprisal of the complement noun with coercion specific operations possibly influencing later processing stages. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[A self-improvement and participatory career development education program involving internships and volunteer training experience for pharmacy students: results verified in a follow-up survey three years after participation].

PubMed

Kurio, Wasako; Konishi, Motomi; Okuno, Tomofumi; Nakao, Teruyuki; Kimura, Tomoki; Tsuji, Takumi; Yamamuro, Akiko; Yamamoto, Yumi; Nishikawa, Tomoe; Yanada, Kazuo; Yasuhara, Tomohisa; Kohno, Takeyuki; Ogita, Kiyokazu; Sone, Tomomichi

2014-01-01

The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Setsunan University, offers the Self-improvement and Participatory Career Development Education Program: Internship and Volunteer Training Experience for Pharmacy Students to third-year students. We previously reported that the training experience was effective in cultivating important attributes among students, such as a willingness to learn the aims of pharmacists, an awareness of their own role as healthcare workers, and a desire to reflect on their future careers and lives. A follow-up survey of the participants was carried out three years after the training experience. The questionnaire verified that the training experience affected attendance at subsequent lectures and course determination after graduation. We confirmed the relationship between the participants' degree of satisfaction with the training experience and increased motivation for attending subsequent lectures. Through the training experience, participants discovered future targets and subjects of study. In addition, they became more interested in subsequent classroom lessons and their future. The greater the participants' degree of satisfaction with their training experience, the more interest they took in practical training and future courses. The present study clarified that the training experience was effective in cultivating important attributes such as a willingness to learn and an interest in future courses. Moreover, the training positively affected the course determination after graduation.

Climate change and the selective signature of the Late Ordovician mass extinction.

PubMed

Finnegan, Seth; Heim, Noel A; Peters, Shanan E; Fischer, Woodward W

2012-05-01

Selectivity patterns provide insights into the causes of ancient extinction events. The Late Ordovician mass extinction was related to Gondwanan glaciation; however, it is still unclear whether elevated extinction rates were attributable to record failure, habitat loss, or climatic cooling. We examined Middle Ordovician-Early Silurian North American fossil occurrences within a spatiotemporally explicit stratigraphic framework that allowed us to quantify rock record effects on a per-taxon basis and assay the interplay of macrostratigraphic and macroecological variables in determining extinction risk. Genera that had large proportions of their observed geographic ranges affected by stratigraphic truncation or environmental shifts at the end of the Katian stage were particularly hard hit. The duration of the subsequent sampling gaps had little effect on extinction risk, suggesting that this extinction pulse cannot be entirely attributed to rock record failure; rather, it was caused, in part, by habitat loss. Extinction risk at this time was also strongly influenced by the maximum paleolatitude at which a genus had previously been sampled, a macroecological trait linked to thermal tolerance. A model trained on the relationship between 16 explanatory variables and extinction patterns during the early Katian interval substantially underestimates the extinction of exclusively tropical taxa during the late Katian interval. These results indicate that glacioeustatic sea-level fall and tropical ocean cooling played important roles in the first pulse of the Late Ordovician mass extinction in Laurentia.

The moral foundations of illusory correlation

PubMed Central

Barberia, Itxaso

2017-01-01

Previous research has studied the relationship between political ideology and cognitive biases, such as the tendency of conservatives to form stronger illusory correlations between negative infrequent behaviors and minority groups. We further explored these findings by studying the relation between illusory correlation and moral values. According to the moral foundations theory, liberals and conservatives differ in the relevance they concede to different moral dimensions: Care, Fairness, Loyalty, Authority, and Purity. Whereas liberals consistently endorse the Care and Fairness foundations more than the Loyalty, Authority and Purity foundations, conservatives tend to adhere to the five foundations alike. In the present study, a group of participants took part in a standard illusory correlation task in which they were presented with randomly ordered descriptions of either desirable or undesirable behaviors attributed to individuals belonging to numerically different majority and minority groups. Although the proportion of desirable and undesirable behaviors was the same in the two groups, participants attributed a higher frequency of undesirable behaviors to the minority group, thus showing the expected illusory correlation effect. Moreover, this effect was specifically associated to our participants’ scores in the Loyalty subscale of the Moral Foundations Questionnaire. These results emphasize the role of the Loyalty moral foundation in the formation of attitudes towards minorities among conservatives. Our study points out the moral system as a useful fine-grained framework to explore the complex interaction between basic cognitive processes and ideology. PMID:28972990

Are we drunk yet? Motor versus cognitive cues of subjective intoxication.

PubMed

Celio, Mark A; Usala, Julie M; Lisman, Stephen A; Johansen, Gerard E; Vetter-O'Hagen, Courtney S; Spear, Linda P

2014-02-01

Perception of alcohol intoxication presumably plays an important role in guiding behavior during a current drinking episode. Yet, there has been surprisingly little investigation of what aspects associated with intoxication are used by individuals to attribute their level of intoxication. Building on recent laboratory-based findings, this study employed a complex field-based design to explore the relative contributions of motor performance versus cognitive performance-specifically executive control-on self-attributions of intoxication. Individuals recruited outside of bars (N = 280; mean age = 22; range: 18 to 32) completed a structured interview, self-report questionnaire, and neuropsychological testing battery, and provided a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) sample. Results of a multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that current level of subjective intoxication was associated with current alcohol-related stimulant effects, current sedative effects, and current BrAC. After controlling for the unique variance accounted for by these factors, subjective intoxication was better predicted by simple motor speed, as indexed by performance on the Finger Tapping Test, than by executive control, as indexed by performance on the Trail Making Test. These results-generated from data collected in a naturally occurring setting-support previous findings from a more traditional laboratory-based investigation, thus illustrating the iterative process of linking field methodology and controlled laboratory experimentation. Copyright © 2013 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

What causes breast cancer? A systematic review of causal attributions among breast cancer survivors and how these compare to expert-endorsed risk factors.

PubMed

Dumalaon-Canaria, Jo Anne; Hutchinson, Amanda D; Prichard, Ivanka; Wilson, Carlene

2014-07-01

The aim of this paper was to review published research that analyzed causal attributions for breast cancer among women previously diagnosed with breast cancer. These attributions were compared with risk factors identified by published scientific evidence in order to determine the level of agreement between cancer survivors' attributions and expert opinion. A comprehensive search for articles, published between 1982 and 2012, reporting studies on causal attributions for breast cancer among patients and survivors was undertaken. Of 5,135 potentially relevant articles, 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. Two additional articles were sourced from reference lists of included studies. Results indicated a consistent belief among survivors that their own breast cancer could be attributed to family history, environmental factors, stress, fate, or chance. Lifestyle factors were less frequently identified, despite expert health information highlighting the importance of these factors in controlling and modifying cancer risk. This review demonstrated that misperceptions about the contribution of modifiable lifestyle factors to the risk of breast cancer have remained largely unchanged over the past 30 years. The findings of this review indicate that beliefs about the causes of breast cancer among affected women are not always consistent with the judgement of experts. Breast cancer survivors did not regularly identify causal factors supported by expert consensus such as age, physical inactivity, breast density, alcohol consumption, and reproductive history. Further research examining psychological predictors of attributions and the impact of cancer prevention messages on adjustment and well-being of cancer survivors is warranted.

Aggressive and nonaggressive children's moral judgments and moral emotion attributions in situations involving retaliation and unprovoked aggression.

PubMed

Gasser, Luciano; Malti, Tina; Gutzwiller-Helfenfinger, Eveline

2012-01-01

The authors investigated 7- and 9-year-old children's moral understanding of retaliation as compared to unprovoked aggression with regard to their aggressive behavior status. Based on peer ratings, 48 children were selected as overtly aggressive and 91 as nonaggressive. Their moral understanding of retaliation and unprovoked aggression was assessed by an interview including questions about their moral judgments and emotion attributions. Aggressive children judged retaliations as less serious than did nonaggressive children. They also referred less often to the harmful consequences of retaliation and were more likely to excuse the retaliation because of the provocation. In unprovoked aggressive situations younger aggressive children, compared with the younger nonaggressive children, attributed more happiness to transgressors, more anger to victims, and less sadness to transgressors and victims. The results are discussed in terms of previous research on aggressive children's moral understanding of retaliation and unprovoked aggression.

Matching achievement contexts with implicit theories to maximize motivation after failure: a congruence model.

PubMed

El-Alayli, Amani

2006-12-01

Previous research has shown that matching person variables with achievement contexts can produce the best motivational outcomes. The current study examines whether this is also true when matching entity and incremental beliefs with the appropriate motivational climate. Participants were led to believe that a personal attribute was fixed (entity belief) or malleable (incremental belief). After thinking that they failed a test that assessed the attribute, participants performed a second (related) task in a context that facilitated the pursuit of either performance or learning goals. Participants were expected to exhibit greater effort on the second task in the congruent conditions (entity belief plus performance goal climate and incremental belief plus learning goal climate) than in the incongruent conditions. These results were obtained, but only for participants who either valued competence on the attribute or had high achievement motivation. Results are discussed in terms of developing strategies for optimizing motivation in achievement settings.

Mixed integer nonlinear programming model of wireless pricing scheme with QoS attribute of bandwidth and end-to-end delay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irmeilyana, Puspita, Fitri Maya; Indrawati

2016-02-01

The pricing for wireless networks is developed by considering linearity factors, elasticity price and price factors. Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming of wireless pricing model is proposed as the nonlinear programming problem that can be solved optimally using LINGO 13.0. The solutions are expected to give some information about the connections between the acceptance factor and the price. Previous model worked on the model that focuses on bandwidth as the QoS attribute. The models attempt to maximize the total price for a connection based on QoS parameter. The QoS attributes used will be the bandwidth and the end to end delay that affect the traffic. The maximum goal to maximum price is achieved when the provider determine the requirement for the increment or decrement of price change due to QoS change and amount of QoS value.

Repeated prescribed fires decrease stocks and change attributes of coarse woody debris in a temperate eucalypt forest.

PubMed

Aponte, Cristina; Tolhurst, Kevin G; Bennett, Lauren T

2014-07-01

Previous studies have found negligible effects of single prescribed fires on coarse woody debris (CWD), but the cumulative effects of repeated low-intensity prescribed fires are unknown. This represents a knowledge gap for environmental management because repeated prescribed fires are a key tool for mitigating wildfire risk, and because CWD is recognized as critical to forest biodiversity and functioning. We examined the effects of repeated low-intensity prescribed fires on the attributes and stocks of (fallen) CWD in a mixed-species eucalypt forest of temperate Australia. Prescribed fire treatments were a factorial combination of two seasons (Autumn, Spring) and two frequencies (three yearly High, 10 yearly Low), were replicated over five study areas, and involved two to seven low-intensity fires over 27 years. Charring due to prescribed fires variously changed carbon and nitrogen concentrations and C to N ratios of CWD pieces depending on decay class, but did not affect mean wood density. CWD biomass and C and N stocks were significantly less in Fire than Control treatments. Decreases in total CWD C stocks of -8 Mg/ha in Fire treatments were not balanced by minor increases in pyrogenic (char) C (-0.3 Mg/ha). Effects of prescribed fire frequency and season included significantly less C and N stocks in rotten CWD in High than Low frequency treatments, and in the largest CWD pieces in Autumn than Spring treatments. Our study demonstrates that repeated low-intensity prescribed fires have the potential to significantly decrease CWD stocks, in pieces of all sizes and particularly decayed pieces, and to change CWD chemical attributes. CWD is at best a minor stock of pyrogenic C under such fire regimes. These findings suggest a potential trade-off in the management of temperate eucalypt forests between sustained reduction of wildfire risk, and the consequences of decreased CWD C stocks, and of changes in CWD as a habitat and biogeochemical substrate. Nonetheless, negative impacts on CWD of repeated low-intensity prescribed fires could be lessened by fire intervals of 10 rather than three years (to decrease losses of decayed CWD), and fires in moist rather than dry conditions (to conserve large CWD).

An interpersonal perspective on depression: the role of marital adjustment, conflict communication, attributions, and attachment within a clinical sample.

PubMed

Heene, Els; Buysse, Ann; Van Oost, Paulette

2007-12-01

Previous studies have focused on the difficulties in psychosocial functioning in depressed persons, underscoring the distress experienced by both spouses. We selected conflict communication, attribution, and attachment as important domains of depression in the context of marital adjustment, and we analyzed two hypotheses in one single study. First, we analyzed whether a clinical sample of couples with a depressed patient would differ significantly from a control group on these variables. Second, we explored to what degree these variables mediate/moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and marital adjustment. The perspectives of both spouses were taken into account, as well as gender differences. In total, 69 clinical and 69 control couples were recruited, and a series of multivariate analyses of variance and regression analyses were conducted to test both hypotheses. Results indicated that both patients and their partners reported less marital adjustment associated with more negative perceptions on conflict communication, causal attributions, and insecure attachment. In addition, conflict communication and causal attributions were significant mediators of the association between depressive symptoms and marital adjustment for both depressed men and women, and causal attributions also moderated this link. Ambivalent attachment was a significant mediator only for the female identified patients. Several sex differences and clinical implications are discussed.

From automata to animate beings: the scope and limits of attributing socialness to artificial agents.

PubMed

Hortensius, Ruud; Cross, Emily S

2018-05-11

Understanding the mechanisms and consequences of attributing socialness to artificial agents has important implications for how we can use technology to lead more productive and fulfilling lives. Here, we integrate recent findings on the factors that shape behavioral and brain mechanisms that support social interactions between humans and artificial agents. We review how visual features of an agent, as well as knowledge factors within the human observer, shape attributions across dimensions of socialness. We explore how anthropomorphism and dehumanization further influence how we perceive and interact with artificial agents. Based on these findings, we argue that the cognitive reconstruction within the human observer is likely to be far more crucial in shaping our interactions with artificial agents than previously thought, while the artificial agent's visual features are possibly of lesser importance. We combine these findings to provide an integrative theoretical account based on the "like me" hypothesis, and discuss the key role played by the Theory-of-Mind network, especially the temporal parietal junction, in the shift from mechanistic to social attributions. We conclude by highlighting outstanding questions on the impact of long-term interactions with artificial agents on the behavioral and brain mechanisms of attributing socialness to these agents. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

Relationship between first treatment contact and supernatural beliefs in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Grover, S; Nebhinani, N; Chakrabarti, S; Shah, R; Avasthi, A

2014-06-01

OBJECTIVE. To explore the relationship between attribution of symptoms to supernatural beliefs and first treatment contact in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia attending a tertiary care hospital located in North India. METHODS. A total of 122 caregivers (aged ≥ 18 years, staying with patient ≥ 1 year and involved in patients' care) of consecutive patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia (according to the ICD-10) were evaluated for their supernatural beliefs and first treatment contact. RESULTS. The first treatment contact was a government or private psychiatrist in slightly more than half (53.3%) of the patients, while it was faith healers in 23.8% of the patients. Around three quarters (74.6%) of the caregivers attributed patients' symptoms to ≥ 1 supernatural belief (like sorcery / witchcraft, ghosts, spirit intrusion, divine wrath, planetary influences, evil spirits, and bad deeds in previous life) and more than half (57.4%) of the caregivers attributed patients' symptoms to > 1 supernatural belief. It was observed that those who contacted faith healers for their patients' treatment had significantly higher attribution of the symptoms to supernatural causes. CONCLUSIONS. Supernatural beliefs were common in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia and the majority attributed their patients' symptoms to these beliefs. It signifies an urgent need for mental health literacy in India.

Sensory evaluation and electronic tongue analysis for sweetener recognition in coke drinks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szöllősi, Dániel; Kovács, Zoltán; Gere, Attila; Sípos, László; Kókai, Zoltán; Fekete, András

2011-09-01

Consumption of beverages with low energy has an increasing role. Furthermore hydrolyzed starch products such as inverted syrup show a wide application in the beverage industry. Therefore the importance of methods which can monitor the usage of natural and artificial sweeteners is increasing. The task was to describe the relevant sensory attributes and to determine the applicability of the electronic tongue to discriminate the coke drink samples with different sweeteners. Furthermore the aim was to find relationship between the taste attributes and measurement results provided by electronic tongue. An Alpha Astree Electronic Tongue and a trained sensory panel were used to evaluate the coke samples. Panelists found significant differences between the samples in 15 cases from the 18 sensory attributes defined previously by the consensus group. Coke drinks containing different kind of sweeteners can be characterized according to these sensory attributes. The samples were definitely distinguished by the electronic tongue. The main difference was found between the samples made with natural and artificial sweeteners. However electronic tongue was able to distinguish samples containing different kind of artificial and different kind of natural sweeteners, as well. Taste attributes of coke drinks determined by sensory panel were predicted by partial least squares regression method based on the results of electronic tongue with close correlation and low prediction error.

Indirect pathways between depressive symptoms and marital distress: the role of conflict communication, attributions, and attachment style.

PubMed

Heene, Els L D; Buysse, Ann; Van Oost, Paulette

2005-12-01

Previous studies have focused on concomitants of depression and marital distress in order to help explain the relationship between the two, suggesting that several variables, such as conflict communication, attributions, and attachment style, are associated with depression, marital distress, or both. Our contention is that the selected variables may be important mediators (hypothesis 1) or moderators (hypothesis 2) of the concomitance between depression and marital adjustment, exploring the direct and indirect ways in which depressive symptoms and marital adjustment are related. In total, 415 heterosexual couples were recruited, and a series of regression analyses was conducted to test our hypotheses separately for men and women. Results indicated that demand-withdrawal, avoidance, causal attributions, and secure, ambivalent, and avoidant attachment mediated the relation between depressive symptoms and marital adjustment in the female sample, whereas constructive communication and causal and responsible attributions were significant mediators of men's levels of depressive symptoms and marital adjustment. In addition, avoidance and secure attachment moderated the association between depressive symptoms and marital adjustment in the female sample, and causal attributions were significant moderators of the association between depressive symptoms and marital adjustment for men. Several conclusions and implications for theory and future research are discussed.

Psychophysical Investigations into the Role of Low-Threshold C Fibres in Non-Painful Affective Processing and Pain Modulation.

PubMed

Shaikh, Sumaiya; Nagi, Saad S; McGlone, Francis; Mahns, David A

2015-01-01

We recently showed that C low-threshold mechanoreceptors (CLTMRs) contribute to touch-evoked pain (allodynia) during experimental muscle pain. Conversely, in absence of ongoing pain, the activation of CLTMRs has been shown to correlate with a diffuse sensation of pleasant touch. In this study, we evaluated (1) the primary afferent fibre types contributing to positive (pleasant) and negative (unpleasant) affective touch and (2) the effects of tactile stimuli on tonic muscle pain by varying affective attributes and frequency parameters. Psychophysical observations were made in 10 healthy participants. Two types of test stimuli were applied: stroking stimulus using velvet or sandpaper at speeds of 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 cm/s; focal vibrotactile stimulus at low (20 Hz) or high (200 Hz) frequency. These stimuli were applied in the normal condition (i.e. no experimental pain) and following the induction of muscle pain by infusing hypertonic saline (5%) into the tibialis anterior muscle. These observations were repeated following the conduction block of myelinated fibres by compression of sciatic nerve. In absence of muscle pain, all participants reliably linked velvet-stroking to pleasantness and sandpaper-stroking to unpleasantness (no pain). Likewise, low-frequency vibration was linked to pleasantness and high-frequency vibration to unpleasantness. During muscle pain, the application of previously pleasant stimuli resulted in overall pain relief, whereas the application of previously unpleasant stimuli resulted in overall pain intensification. These effects were significant, reproducible and persisted following the blockade of myelinated fibres. Taken together, these findings suggest the role of low-threshold C fibres in affective and pain processing. Furthermore, these observations suggest that temporal coding need not be limited to discriminative aspects of tactile processing, but may contribute to affective attributes, which in turn predispose individual responses towards excitatory or inhibitory modulation of pain.

Why do multi-attribute utility instruments produce different utilities: the relative importance of the descriptive systems, scale and 'micro-utility' effects.

PubMed

Richardson, Jeff; Iezzi, Angelo; Khan, Munir A

2015-08-01

Health state utilities measured by the major multi-attribute utility instruments differ. Understanding the reasons for this is important for the choice of instrument and for research designed to reconcile these differences. This paper investigates these reasons by explaining pairwise differences between utilities derived from six multi-attribute utility instruments in terms of (1) their implicit measurement scales; (2) the structure of their descriptive systems; and (3) 'micro-utility effects', scale-adjusted differences attributable to their utility formula. The EQ-5D-5L, SF-6D, HUI 3, 15D and AQoL-8D were administered to 8,019 individuals. Utilities and unweighted values were calculated using each instrument. Scale effects were determined by the linear relationship between utilities, the effect of the descriptive system by comparison of scale-adjusted values and 'micro-utility effects' by the unexplained difference between utilities and values. Overall, 66 % of the differences between utilities was attributable to the descriptive systems, 30.3 % to scale effects and 3.7 % to micro-utility effects. Results imply that the revision of utility algorithms will not reconcile differences between instruments. The dominating importance of the descriptive system highlights the need for researchers to select the instrument most capable of describing the health states relevant for a study. Reconciliation of inconsistent utilities produced by different instruments must focus primarily upon the content of the descriptive system. Utility weights primarily determine the measurement scale. Other differences, attributable to utility formula, are comparatively unimportant.

Hysteresis in Center of Mass Velocity Control during the Stance Phase of Treadmill Walking

PubMed Central

Lee, Kyoung-Hyun; Chong, Raymond K.

2017-01-01

Achieving a soft landing during walking can be quantified by analyzing changes in the vertical velocity of the body center of mass (CoM) just prior to the landing of the swing limb. Previous research suggests that walking speed and step length may predictably influence the extent of this CoM control. Here we ask how stable this control is. We altered treadmill walking speed by systematically increasing or decreasing it at fixed intervals. We then reversed direction. We hypothesized that the control of the CoM vertical velocity during the late stance of the walking gait may serve as an order parameter which has an attribute of hysteresis. The presence of hysteresis implies that the CoM control is not based on simply knowing the current input conditions to predict the output response. Instead, there is also the influence of previous speed conditions on the ongoing responses. We found that the magnitudes of CoM control were different depending on whether the treadmill speed (as the control parameter) was ramped up or down. Changes in step length also influenced CoM control. A stronger effect was observed when the treadmill speed was speeded up compared to down. However, the effect of speed direction remained significant after controlling for step length. The hysteresis effect of CoM control as a function of speed history demonstrated in the current study suggests that the regulation of CoM vertical velocity during late stance is influenced by previous external conditions and constraints which combine to influence the desired behavioral outcome. PMID:28496403

Display dimensionality and conflict geometry effects on maneuver preferences for resolving in-flight conflicts.

PubMed

Thomas, Lisa C; Wickens, Christopher D

2008-08-01

Two experiments explored the effects of display dimensionality, conflict geometry, and time pressure on pilot maneuvering preferences for resolving en route conflicts. With the presence of a cockpit display of traffic information (CDTI) that provides graphical airspace information, pilots can use a variety of conflict resolution maneuvers in response to how they perceive the conflict. Inconsistent preference findings from previous research on conflict resolution using CDTIs may be attributable to inherent ambiguities in 3-D perspective displays and/or a limited range of conflict geometries. Pilots resolved predicted conflicts using CDTIs with three levels of display dimensionality; the first had two 2-D orthogonal views, the second depicted the airspace in two alternating 3-D perspective views, and the third had a pilot-controlled swiveling viewpoint. Pilots demonstrated the same preferences that have been observed in previous research for vertical over lateral maneuvers in low workload and climbs over descents for level-flight conflicts. With increasing workload the two 3-D perspective displays, but not the 2-D displays, resulted in an increased preference for lateral over vertical maneuvers. Increased time pressure resulted in increased vertical maneuvers, an effect again limited to the two 3-D perspective displays. Resolution preferences were more affected by workload and time pressure when the 3-D perspective displays were used, as compared with the 2-D displays, although overall preferences were milder than in previous studies. Investigating maneuver preferences using the strategic flight planning paradigm employed in this study may be the key to better ensure pilot acceptance of computer-generated resolution maneuvers.

Negative Priming in Free Recall Reconsidered

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanczakowski, Maciej; Beaman, C. Philip; Jones, Dylan M.

2016-01-01

Negative priming in free recall is the finding of impaired memory performance when previously ignored auditory distracters become targets of encoding and retrieval. This negative priming has been attributed to an aftereffect of deploying inhibitory mechanisms that serve to suppress auditory distraction and minimize interference with learning and…

Criteria of Police Officer Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baehr, Melany E.

The indifferent success in achieving the goal of reliable and valid police officer work performance measures has been attributed to the complexity of the job. This study explored reasons for unsatisfactory police performance evaluation, reviewing and integrating previous studies and new recently collected but not yet published data. Performance…

Improving Generation Y Volunteerism in Extension Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Kevin B.; Lockett, Landry L.

2013-01-01

Members of Generation Y have many positive attributes that make them attractive to Extension volunteer administrators as a potential source of labor. However, they think differently, have unique needs, require new management styles, and have less tolerance for unpleasant working conditions than previous generations. Additionally, they are engaged…

Identification of Phytoplasma Species Associated With Potato Diseases in Russia

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Four out of six known potato diseases attributed to phytoplasma infection were previously reported to occur in Russia based on a combination of biological properties such as symptomatology and/or vector relationships and electron microscopy of infected phloem tissue. In 2007, the first molecular id...

Knowledge of Previous Tasks: Task Similarity Influences Bias in Task Duration Predictions

PubMed Central

Thomas, Kevin E.; König, Cornelius J.

2018-01-01

Bias in predictions of task duration has been attributed to misremembering previous task duration and using previous task duration as a basis for predictions. This research sought to further examine how previous task information affects prediction bias by manipulating task similarity and assessing the role of previous task duration feedback. Task similarity was examined through participants performing two tasks 1 week apart that were the same or different. Duration feedback was provided to all participants (Experiment 1), its recall was manipulated (Experiment 2), and its provision was manipulated (Experiment 3). In all experiments, task similarity influenced bias on the second task, with predictions being less biased when the first task was the same task. However, duration feedback did not influence bias. The findings highlight the pivotal role of knowledge about previous tasks in task duration prediction and are discussed in relation to the theoretical accounts of task duration prediction bias. PMID:29881362

A neural basis for the effect of candidate appearance on election outcomes.

PubMed

Spezio, Michael L; Rangel, Antonio; Alvarez, Ramon Michael; O'Doherty, John P; Mattes, Kyle; Todorov, Alexander; Kim, Hackjin; Adolphs, Ralph

2008-12-01

Election outcomes correlate with judgments based on a candidate's visual appearance, suggesting that the attributions viewers make based on appearance, so-called thin-slice judgments, influence voting. Yet, it is not known whether the effect of appearance on voting is more strongly influenced by positive or negative attributions, nor which neural mechanisms subserve this effect. We conducted two independent brain imaging studies to address this question. In Study 1, images of losing candidates elicited greater activation in the insula and ventral anterior cingulate than images of winning candidates. Winning candidates elicited no differential activation at all. This suggests that negative attributions from appearance exert greater influence on voting than do positive. We further tested this hypothesis in Study 2 by asking a separate group of participants to judge which unfamiliar candidate in a pair looked more attractive, competent, deceitful and threatening. When negative attribution processing was enhanced (specifically, under judgment of threat), images of losing candidates again elicited greater activation in the insula and ventral anterior cingulate. Together, these findings support the view that negative attributions play a critical role in mediating the effects of appearance on voter decisions, an effect that may be of special importance when other information is absent.

Changes in Free Symptom Attributions in Hypochondriasis after Cognitive Therapy and Exposure Therapy.

PubMed

Schwind, Julia; Neng, Julia M B; Weck, Florian

2016-09-01

Cognitive-behavioural therapy can change dysfunctional symptom attributions in patients with hypochondriasis. Past research has used forced-choice answer formats, such as questionnaires, to assess these misattributions; however, with this approach, idiosyncratic attributions cannot be assessed. Free associations are an important complement to existing approaches that assess symptom attributions. With this study, we contribute to the current literature by using an open-response instrument to investigate changes in freely associated attributions after exposure therapy (ET) and cognitive therapy (CT) compared with a wait list (WL). The current study is a re-examination of a formerly published randomized controlled trial (Weck, Neng, Richtberg, Jakob and Stangier, 2015) that investigated the effectiveness of CT and ET. Seventy-three patients with hypochondriasis were randomly assigned to CT, ET or a WL, and completed a 12-week treatment (or waiting period). Before and after the treatment or waiting period, patients completed an Attribution task in which they had to spontaneously attribute nine common bodily sensations to possible causes in an open-response format. Compared with the WL, both CT and ET reduced the frequency of somatic attributions regarding severe diseases (CT: Hedges's g = 1.12; ET: Hedges's g = 1.03) and increased the frequency of normalizing attributions (CT: Hedges's g = 1.17; ET: Hedges's g = 1.24). Only CT changed the attributions regarding moderate diseases (Hedges's g = 0.69). Changes in somatic attributions regarding mild diseases and psychological attributions were not observed. Both CT and ET are effective for treating freely associated misattributions in patients with hypochondriasis. This study supplements research that used a forced-choice assessment.

Patient Preferences and Urologist Judgments on Prostate Cancer Therapy in Japan.

PubMed

Nakayama, Masahiko; Kobayashi, Hisanori; Okazaki, Masateru; Imanaka, Keiichiro; Yoshizawa, Kazutake; Mahlich, Jörg

2018-05-01

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the concordance of treatment preferences between patients and physicians in prostate cancer (PCa) in Japan. An internet-based discrete choice experiment was conducted. Patients and physicians were asked to select their preferred treatment from a pair of hypothetical treatments consisting of four attributes: quality of life (QOL), treatment effectiveness, side effects, and accessibility of treatment. The data were analyzed using a conditional logistic regression model to calculate coefficients and the relative importance (RI) of each attribute. A total of 103 PCa patients and 127 physicians responded. The study looked at 37 patients considered as advanced PCa and 66 who were non-advanced PCa. All of the physicians were urologists. Advanced PCa patients ranked the attributes as follows: treatment effectiveness (RI: 32%), accessibility of treatment (RI: 26%), QOL (RI: 23%), and side effects (RI: 19%). For physicians, the RI ranking was the same as for advanced PCa patients; treatment effectiveness (RI: 29%), accessibility of treatment (RI: 27%), QOL (RI: 26%), and side effects (RI: 18%). For non-advanced PCa patients, accessibility of treatment ranked the highest RI (27%) and treatment effectiveness ranked as the lowest RI (14%). Our study suggests that the ranking of the attributes was consistent between advanced PCa patients and physicians. The most influential attribute was treatment effectiveness. Treatment preferences also vary by disease stage.

Employing heat maps to mine associations in structured routine care data.

PubMed

Toddenroth, Dennis; Ganslandt, Thomas; Castellanos, Ixchel; Prokosch, Hans-Ulrich; Bürkle, Thomas

2014-02-01

Mining the electronic medical record (EMR) has the potential to deliver new medical knowledge about causal effects, which are hidden in statistical associations between different patient attributes. It is our goal to detect such causal mechanisms within current research projects which include e.g. the detection of determinants of imminent ICU readmission. An iterative statistical approach to examine each set of considered attribute pairs delivers potential answers but is difficult to interpret. Therefore, we aimed to improve the interpretation of the resulting matrices by the use of heat maps. We propose strategies to adapt heat maps for the search for associations and causal effects within routine EMR data. Heat maps visualize tabulated metric datasets as grid-like choropleth maps, and thus present measures of association between numerous attribute pairs clearly arranged. Basic assumptions about plausible exposures and outcomes are used to allocate distinct attribute sets to both matrix dimensions. The image then avoids certain redundant graphical elements and provides a clearer picture of the supposed associations. Specific color schemes have been chosen to incorporate preexisting information about similarities between attributes. The use of measures of association as a clustering input has been taken as a trigger to apply transformations which ensure that distance metrics always assume finite values and treat positive and negative associations in the same way. To evaluate the general capability of the approach, we conducted analyses of simulated datasets and assessed diagnostic and procedural codes in a large routine care dataset. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed clustering procedure rearranges attributes similar to simulated statistical associations. Thus, heat maps are an excellent tool to indicate whether associations concern the same attributes or different ones, and whether affected attribute sets conform to any preexisting relationship between attributes. The dendrograms help in deciding if contiguous sequences of attributes effectively correspond to homogeneous attribute associations. The exemplary analysis of a routine care dataset revealed patterns of associations that follow plausible medical constellations for several diseases and the associated medical procedures and activities. Cases with breast cancer (ICD C50), for example, appeared to be associated with radiation therapy (8-52). In cross check, approximately 60 percent of the attribute pairs in this dataset showed a strong negative association, which can be explained by diseases treated in a medical specialty which routinely does not perform the respective procedures in these cases. The corresponding diagram clearly reflects these relationships in the shape of coherent subareas. We could demonstrate that heat maps of measures of association are effective for the visualization of patterns in routine care EMRs. The adjustable method for the assignment of attributes to image dimensions permits a balance between the display of ample information and a favorable level of graphical complexity. The scope of the search can be adapted by the use of pre-existing assumptions about plausible effects to select exposure and outcome attributes. Thus, the proposed method promises to simplify the detection of undiscovered causal effects within routine EMR data. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[A multi-measure analysis of the similarity, attraction, and compromise effects in multi-attribute decision making].

PubMed

Tsuzuki, Takashi; Matsui, Hiroshi; Kikuchi, Manabu

2012-12-01

In multi-attribute decision making, the similarity, attraction, and compromise effects warrant specific investigation as they cause violations of principles in rational choice. In order to investigate these three effects simultaneously, we assigned 145 undergraduates to three context effect conditions. We requested them to solve the same 20 hypothetical purchase problems, each of which had three alternatives described along two attributes. We measured their choices, confidence ratings, and response times. We found that manipulating the third alternative had significant context effects for choice proportions and confidence ratings in all three conditions. Furthermore, the attraction effect was the most prominent with regard to choice proportions. In the compromise effect condition, although the choice proportion of the third alternative was high, the confidence rating was low and the response time was long. These results indicate that the relationship between choice proportions and confidence ratings requires further theoretical investigation. They also suggest that a combination of experimental and modeling studies is imperative to reveal the mechanisms underlying the context effects in multi-attribute, multi-alternative decision making.

Do cognitive attributions for smoking predict subsequent smoking development?

PubMed

Guo, Qian; Unger, Jennifer B; Azen, Stanley P; MacKinnon, David P; Johnson, C Anderson

2012-03-01

To develop more effective anti-smoking programs, it is important to understand the factors that influence people to smoke. Guided by attribution theory, a longitudinal study was conducted to investigate how individuals' cognitive attributions for smoking were associated with subsequent smoking development and through which pathways. Middle and high school students in seven large cities in China (N=12,382; 48.5% boys and 51.5% girls) completed two annual surveys. Associations between cognitive attributions for smoking and subsequent smoking initiation and progression were tested with multilevel analysis, taking into account plausible moderation effects of gender and baseline smoking status. Mediation effects of susceptibility to smoking were investigated using statistical mediation analysis (MacKinnon, 2008). Six out of eight tested themes of cognitive attributions were associated with subsequent smoking development. Curiosity (β=0.11, p<0.001) and autonomy (β=0.08, p=0.019) were associated with smoking initiation among baseline non-smokers. Coping (β=0.07, p<0.001) and social image (β=0.10, p=<.0001) were associated with smoking progression among baseline lifetime smokers. Social image (β=0.05, p=0.043), engagement (β=0.07, p=0.003), and mental enhancement (β=0.15, p<0.001) were associated with smoking progression among baseline past 30-day smokers. More attributions were associated with smoking development among males than among females. Susceptibility to smoking partially mediated most of the associations, with the proportion of mediated effects ranging from 4.3% to 30.8%. This study identifies the roles that cognitive attributions for smoking play in subsequent smoking development. These attributions could be addressed in smoking prevention programs. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Do Cognitive Attributions for Smoking Predict Subsequent Smoking Development?

PubMed Central

Guo, Qian; Unger, Jennifer B.; Azen, Stanley P.; MacKinnon, David P.; Johnson, C. Anderson

2011-01-01

To develop more effective anti-smoking programs, it is important to understand the factors that influence people to smoke. Guided by attribution theory, a longitudinal study was conducted to investigate how individuals’ cognitive attributions for smoking were associated with subsequent smoking development and through which pathways. Middle and high school students in seven large cities in China (N=12,382; 48.5% boys and 51.5% girls) completed two annual surveys. Associations between cognitive attributions for smoking and subsequent smoking initiation and progression were tested with multilevel analysis, taking into account plausible moderation effects of gender and baseline smoking status. Mediation effects of susceptibility to smoking were investigated using statistical mediation analysis (MacKinnon, 2008). Six out of eight tested themes of cognitive attributions were associated with subsequent smoking development. Curiosity (β=0.11, p<0.001) and autonomy (β=0.08, p=0.019) were associated with smoking initiation among baseline non-smokers. Coping (β=0.07, p<0.001) and social image (β=0.10, p=<.0001) were associated with smoking progression among baseline lifetime smokers. Social image (β=0.05, p=0.043), engagement (β=0.07, p=0.003), and mental enhancement (β=0.15, p<0.001) were associated with smoking progression among baseline past 30-day smokers. More attributions were associated with smoking development among males than among females. Susceptibility to smoking partially mediated most of the associations, with the proportion of mediated effects ranging from 4.3% to 30.8%. This study identifies the roles that cognitive attributions for smoking play in subsequent smoking development. These attributions could be addressed in smoking prevention programs. PMID:22112425

Factors affecting the diffusion of online end user literature searching.

PubMed

Ash, J S

1999-01-01

The aim of this study was to identify factors that affect diffusion of usage of online end user literature searching. Fifteen factors clustered into three attribute sets (innovation attributes, organizational attributes, and marketing attributes) were measured to study their effect on the diffusion of online searching within institutions. A random sample of sixty-seven academic health sciences centers was selected and then 1,335 library and informatics staff members at those institutions were surveyed by mail with electronic mail follow-up. Multiple regression analysis was performed. The survey yielded a 41% response rate with electronic mail follow-up being particularly effective. Two dependent variables, internal diffusion (spread of diffusion) and infusion (depth of diffusion), were measured. There was little correlation between them, indicating they measured different things. Fifteen independent variables clustered into three attribute sets were measured. The innovation attributes set was significant for both internal diffusion and infusion. Significant individual variables were visibility for internal diffusion and image enhancement effects (negative relation) as well as visibility for infusion (depth of diffusion). Organizational attributes were also significant predictors for both dependent variables. No individual variables were significant for internal diffusion. Communication, management support (negative relation), rewards, and existence of champions were significant for infusion. Marketing attributes were not significant predictors. Successful diffusion of online end user literature searching is dependent on the visibility of the systems, communication among, rewards to, and peers of possible users who promote use (champions). Personal image enhancement effects have a negative relation to infusion, possibly because the use of intermediaries is still seen as the more luxurious way to have searches done. Management support also has a negative relation to infusion, perhaps indicating that depth of diffusion can increase despite top-level management actions.

Contributions of natural and anthropogenic radiative forcing to mass loss of Northern Hemisphere mountain glaciers and quantifying their uncertainties.

PubMed

Hirabayashi, Yukiko; Nakano, Kazunari; Zhang, Yong; Watanabe, Satoshi; Tanoue, Masahiro; Kanae, Shinjiro

2016-07-20

Observational evidence indicates that a number of glaciers have lost mass in the past. Given that glaciers are highly impacted by the surrounding climate, human-influenced global warming may be partly responsible for mass loss. However, previous research studies have been limited to analyzing the past several decades, and it remains unclear whether past glacier mass losses are within the range of natural internal climate variability. Here, we apply an optimal fingerprinting technique to observed and reconstructed mass losses as well as multi-model general circulation model (GCM) simulations of mountain glacier mass to detect and attribute past glacier mass changes. An 8,800-year control simulation of glaciers enabled us to evaluate detectability. The results indicate that human-induced increases in greenhouse gases have contributed to the decreased area-weighted average masses of 85 analyzed glaciers. The effect was larger than the mass increase caused by natural forcing, although the contributions of natural and anthropogenic forcing to decreases in mass varied at the local scale. We also showed that the detection of anthropogenic or natural influences could not be fully attributed when natural internal climate variability was taken into account.

Contributions of natural and anthropogenic radiative forcing to mass loss of Northern Hemisphere mountain glaciers and quantifying their uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirabayashi, Yukiko; Nakano, Kazunari; Zhang, Yong; Watanabe, Satoshi; Tanoue, Masahiro; Kanae, Shinjiro

2016-07-01

Observational evidence indicates that a number of glaciers have lost mass in the past. Given that glaciers are highly impacted by the surrounding climate, human-influenced global warming may be partly responsible for mass loss. However, previous research studies have been limited to analyzing the past several decades, and it remains unclear whether past glacier mass losses are within the range of natural internal climate variability. Here, we apply an optimal fingerprinting technique to observed and reconstructed mass losses as well as multi-model general circulation model (GCM) simulations of mountain glacier mass to detect and attribute past glacier mass changes. An 8,800-year control simulation of glaciers enabled us to evaluate detectability. The results indicate that human-induced increases in greenhouse gases have contributed to the decreased area-weighted average masses of 85 analyzed glaciers. The effect was larger than the mass increase caused by natural forcing, although the contributions of natural and anthropogenic forcing to decreases in mass varied at the local scale. We also showed that the detection of anthropogenic or natural influences could not be fully attributed when natural internal climate variability was taken into account.

"Smooth operator": Music modulates the perceived creaminess, sweetness, and bitterness of chocolate.

PubMed

Reinoso Carvalho, Felipe; Wang, Qian Janice; van Ee, Raymond; Persoone, Dominique; Spence, Charles

2017-01-01

There has been a recent growth of interest in determining whether sound (specifically music and soundscapes) can enhance not only the basic taste attributes associated with food and beverage items (such as sweetness, bitterness, sourness, etc.), but also other important components of the tasting experience, such as, for instance, crunchiness, creaminess, and/or carbonation. In the present study, participants evaluated the perceived creaminess of chocolate. Two contrasting soundtracks were produced with such texture-correspondences in mind, and validated by means of a pre-test. The participants tasted the same chocolate twice (without knowing that the chocolates were identical), each time listening to one of the soundtracks. The 'creamy' soundtrack enhanced the perceived creaminess and sweetness of the chocolates, as compared to the ratings given while listening to the 'rough' soundtrack. Moreover, while the participants preferred the creamy soundtrack, this difference did not appear to affect their overall enjoyment of the chocolates. Interestingly, and in contrast with previous similar studies, these results demonstrate that in certain cases, sounds can have a perceptual effect on gustatory food attributes without necessarily altering the hedonic experience. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trait-specific long-term consequences of genomic selection in beef cattle.

PubMed

de Rezende Neves, Haroldo Henrique; Carvalheiro, Roberto; de Queiroz, Sandra Aidar

2018-02-01

Simulation studies allow addressing consequences of selection schemes, helping to identify effective strategies to enable genetic gain and maintain genetic diversity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term impact of genomic selection (GS) in genetic progress and genetic diversity of beef cattle. Forward-in-time simulation generated a population with pattern of linkage disequilibrium close to that previously reported for real beef cattle populations. Different scenarios of GS and traditional pedigree-based BLUP (PBLUP) selection were simulated for 15 generations, mimicking selection for female reproduction and meat quality. For GS scenarios, an alternative selection criterion was simulated (wGBLUP), intended to enhance long-term gains by attributing more weight to favorable alleles with low frequency. GS allowed genetic progress up to 40% greater than PBLUP, for female reproduction and meat quality. The alternative criterion wGBLUP did not increase long-term response, although allowed reducing inbreeding rates and loss of favorable alleles. The results suggest that GS outperforms PBLUP when the selected trait is under less polygenic background and that attributing more weight to low-frequency favorable alleles can reduce inbreeding rates and loss of favorable alleles in GS.

Walkability of local communities: using geographic information systems to objectively assess relevant environmental attributes.

PubMed

Leslie, Eva; Coffee, Neil; Frank, Lawrence; Owen, Neville; Bauman, Adrian; Hugo, Graeme

2007-03-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used to objectively measure features of the built environment that may influence adults' physical activity, which is an important determinant of chronic disease. We describe how a previously developed index of walkability was operationalised in an Australian context, using available spatial data. The index was used to generate a stratified sampling frame for the selection of households from 32 communities for the PLACE (Physical Activity in Localities and Community Environments) study. GIS data have the potential to be used to construct measures of environmental attributes and to develop indices of walkability for cities, regions or local communities.

A re-description of the fossil damselfly Eolestes syntheticus Cockerell, 1940 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Eolestidae n. fam.) with description of new taxa from the Eocene of North America.

PubMed

Greenwalt, Dale E; Bechly, Günter

2014-11-24

The enigmatic species Eolestes syntheticus Cockerell, 1940, from the Early Eocene of North America, previously attributed to the lestoid family Synlestidae, is re-examined in light of the discovery of new material from the Middle Eocene Kishenehn Formation in northwestern Montana. E. syntheticus and a new species, Eolestes ramosus sp. n., are attributed to a new family Eolestidae fam. n.. In addition, a new genus and species very closely related to Lestidae but assigned to family unknown, Lutetialestes uniformis sp. n., is described from the Kishenehn Formation.

Attributes Affecting Computer-Aided Decision Making--A Literature Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moldafsky, Neil I; Kwon, Ik-Whan

1994-01-01

Reviews current literature about personal, demographic, situational, and cognitive attributes that affect computer-aided decision making. The effectiveness of computer-aided decision making is explored in relation to decision quality, effectiveness, and confidence. Studies of the effects of age, anxiety, cognitive type, attitude, gender, and prior…

Infant mortality in South Africa - distribution, associations and policy implications, 2007: an ecological spatial analysis

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Many sub-Saharan countries are confronted with persistently high levels of infant mortality because of the impact of a range of biological and social determinants. In particular, infant mortality has increased in sub-Saharan Africa in recent decades due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The geographic distribution of health problems and their relationship to potential risk factors can be invaluable for cost effective intervention planning. The objective of this paper is to determine and map the spatial nature of infant mortality in South Africa at a sub district level in order to inform policy intervention. In particular, the paper identifies and maps high risk clusters of infant mortality, as well as examines the impact of a range of determinants on infant mortality. A Bayesian approach is used to quantify the spatial risk of infant mortality, as well as significant associations (given spatial correlation between neighbouring areas) between infant mortality and a range of determinants. The most attributable determinants in each sub-district are calculated based on a combination of prevalence and model risk factor coefficient estimates. This integrated small area approach can be adapted and applied in other high burden settings to assist intervention planning and targeting. Results Infant mortality remains high in South Africa with seemingly little reduction since previous estimates in the early 2000's. Results showed marked geographical differences in infant mortality risk between provinces as well as within provinces as well as significantly higher risk in specific sub-districts and provinces. A number of determinants were found to have a significant adverse influence on infant mortality at the sub-district level. Following multivariable adjustment increasing maternal mortality, antenatal HIV prevalence, previous sibling mortality and male infant gender remained significantly associated with increased infant mortality risk. Of these antenatal HIV sero-prevalence, previous sibling mortality and maternal mortality were found to be the most attributable respectively. Conclusions This study demonstrates the usefulness of advanced spatial analysis to both quantify excess infant mortality risk at the lowest administrative unit, as well as the use of Bayesian modelling to quantify determinant significance given spatial correlation. The "novel" integration of determinant prevalence at the sub-district and coefficient estimates to estimate attributable fractions further elucidates the "high impact" factors in particular areas and has considerable potential to be applied in other locations. The usefulness of the paper, therefore, not only suggests where to intervene geographically, but also what specific interventions policy makers should prioritize in order to reduce the infant mortality burden in specific administration areas. PMID:22093084

Redescriptions of two echinostomes from birds in Paraguay, with comments on Drepanocephalus Dietz, 1909 and Paryphostomum Dietz, 1909 (Digenea: Echinostomatidae).

PubMed

Kostadinova, Aneta; Vaucher, Claude; Gibson, David I

2002-10-01

Two species of echinostomatid trematodes from Paraguayan birds are redescribed: these are Drepanocephalus spathans Dietz, 1909 from Phalacrocorax olivaceus and Paryphostomum segregatum Dietz, 1909 from Coragyps atratus. The genera Drepanocephalus Dietz, 1909 and Paryphostomum Dietz, 1909 are redefined and the species previously assigned to them reviewed. Paryphostomum mexicanum (Lamothe-Argumedo & Pérez-Ponce de León, 1989) n. comb. and P. parvicephalum (Rietschel & Werding, 1978) n. comb. are transferred from Drepanocephalus to Paryphostomum. A key to the species of Paryphostomum is presented, and the nominal species of Echinostoma Rudolphi, 1809, Nephrostomum Dietz, 1909 and Artyfechinostomum Lane, 1915 previously ascribed to this genus are commented upon. New combinations for species previously attributed to Paryphostomum are: Echinostoma pentalobum (Verma, 1936) n. comb.; E. baiyangdienense (Ku, Pan, Chiu, Li & Chu, 1973) n. comb.; Nephrostomum dollfusi (Agarwal, 1959) n. comb.; and Artyfechinostomum neotoma (Jain, 1953) n. comb. Species attributed to Paryphostomum which are here considered species inquirendae are: Paryphostomum (Lepustomum) mehrii Jain, 1953 sp. inq.; P. fragosum (Dietz, 1909) sp. inq.; P. horai Baugh, 1950 sp. inq.; P. huaccaci Ibáñez, 1974 sp. inq.; P. agrawali Gupta & Singh, 1986 sp. inq.; P. siddiqui Gupta & Singh, 1986 sp. inq.; P. durgensis Sapre, 1969 sp. inq.; and P. globorchum Oshmarin, 1970 sp. inq.

Maintenance of Improved Attitudes Toward Stuttering.

PubMed

St Louis, Kenneth O; Flynn, Timothy W

2018-05-03

This study sought to determine the extent to which experimentally induced positive attitudes in high school students in a previous investigation were maintained 7 years later. Authors and assistants recruited 36 adults in their early 20s (Follow-up group) who, in high school, had witnessed either a live oral talk by a person who stutters or a professionally made video on stuttering designed for teens followed by a short talk by the same speaker. The Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering was administered before and after the interventions in high school and 7 years later such that pre-post group comparisons were made. Previously, the Follow-up group had demonstrated highly positive changes in their attitudes after the interventions. In addition, a control group of 56 former high school students from the same state, who did not participate in the interventions, were recruited and compared to the Follow-up group. The Follow-up group, which was found to be representative of the original high school cohort, held more positive Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering mean ratings than the Control group, although somewhat less positive than their previous postintervention ratings. The Follow-up group maintained many of the positive changes in their beliefs and self reactions regarding stuttering that were induced 7 years earlier after witnessing personal stories and facts about stuttering.

Identification and Prioritization of Important Attributes of Disease-Modifying Drugs in Decision Making among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Nominal Group Technique and Best-Worst Scaling

PubMed Central

Kremer, Ingrid E. H.; van der Weijden, Trudy; van de Kolk, Ilona

2016-01-01

Objectives Understanding the preferences of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) for disease-modifying drugs and involving these patients in clinical decision making can improve the concordance between medical decisions and patient values and may, subsequently, improve adherence to disease-modifying drugs. This study aims first to identify which characteristics–or attributes–of disease-modifying drugs influence patients´ decisions about these treatments and second to quantify the attributes’ relative importance among patients. Methods First, three focus groups of relapsing-remitting MS patients were formed to compile a preliminary list of attributes using a nominal group technique. Based on this qualitative research, a survey with several choice tasks (best-worst scaling) was developed to prioritize attributes, asking a larger patient group to choose the most and least important attributes. The attributes’ mean relative importance scores (RIS) were calculated. Results Nineteen patients reported 34 attributes during the focus groups and 185 patients evaluated the importance of the attributes in the survey. The effect on disease progression received the highest RIS (RIS = 9.64, 95% confidence interval: [9.48–9.81]), followed by quality of life (RIS = 9.21 [9.00–9.42]), relapse rate (RIS = 7.76 [7.39–8.13]), severity of side effects (RIS = 7.63 [7.33–7.94]) and relapse severity (RIS = 7.39 [7.06–7.73]). Subgroup analyses showed heterogeneity in preference of patients. For example, side effect-related attributes were statistically more important for patients who had no experience in using disease-modifying drugs compared to experienced patients (p < .001). Conclusions This study shows that, on average, patients valued effectiveness and unwanted effects as most important. Clinicians should be aware of the average preferences but also that attributes of disease-modifying drugs are valued differently by different patients. Person-centred clinical decision making would be needed and requires eliciting individual preferences. PMID:27812117